Wait What happened in Vegas?
by Ellabee15
Summary: Bruce and Felicity accidentally get married in Vegas.
1. Chapter 1

**NA: So the first two chapters of this story were part of the Batlicity Oneshots. The first chapter is from Felicity's point of view, then the following ones are from Bruce's, explaining how they got to this point.**

* * *

It was after Cooper. She'd come home that summer, eager to lose herself in anything that could distract her from the pain, itching to try out her new hair and confidence. Which was what made her enter her fifth casino that week, having banned from the other 4 for counting cards. She sat at the blackjack table, her heart hammering in her chest as she looked at her opponents. A woman in her late thirties with bleach blonde hair, eyebrows that had been drawn high on her forehead, and a tight red dress that she was practically spilling out of. A man in his 50's who was leering at the woman. A smiling older gentleman. There was an empty seat next to her. The dealer had just dealt them the first round of cards when a man slid in next to Felicity. The dealer was about to complain, when she caught sight of the man and swallowed, dealing him in. There was a rumble of irritation from the other players, but no one complained out loud.

Felicity studied the man as the game went on. He was tall, with dark hair and an extremely handsome face. His eyes were sharp, intelligent. A dark ocean blue whose depths matched their color. He turned to look at her and she shuddered as a small smirk danced across his mouth. Those eyes. She could drown in them. The dealer cleared her throat and Felicity turned her attention back to the table. The others were looking at her, varying degrees of irritation on their faces. It was her bet. Felicity glanced down at her hand. A king and a 9. 19. Putting her cards face down, she smiled. "I'm staying."

The dealer turned her attention to Mr. Dark and Mysterious. He gave her a small smile and put his cards down as well. "Me as well."

Creepy leering man was out, he'd gone over. The woman had 17. The older man had 21 even. Mr. Bronte Novel Hero had 20. Felicity frowned; she should be more careful the next hand. She needed to keep her focus on the game. The dealer began the next round. She tried to ignore the man to her left, but somehow remained hyper aware of him. Every move, every twitch or slide of his fingers over the cards she noted. He shifted slightly closer, his mouth next to her ears. Felicity quickly covered her cards.

"If you're going to count." He murmured. "You should focus better."

Felicity froze. Her fingers tightening on the cards she had in front of her. She'd never been caught that quickly. Looking over at him in alarm, she noted the smug smile on his features as he focused on the game. He didn't look like he was alerting security and when he saw her staring at him again, he winked.

They completely cleaned out the table. The dealer must have suspected that they were counting, but Mr. Secret seemed to have some pull because she just grit her teeth and didn't say anything.

"You've got some talent." He said as they made their way over to the bar about an hour later.

"You're not going to turn me in, are you?" She asked. He just gave her an enigmatic smile before offering her a seat.

"Not a crime to fleece a rich casino out of a few thousand dollars." He said. "Can I buy you a drink?"

She should have said no. She should have walked away. Her gut was telling her that this man wasn't what he appeared to be...although he hadn't given her any information. But she was running on the adrenaline of her winnings and having gotten away with counting cards. Sitting in the seat he offered her, she ordered a glass of champagne.

The rest of the night passed in a haze of drinking and talking. No names were exchanged. For the first time since Cooper's death she felt...exhilarated. It was freeing, not having to be herself. To slip into this persona of a woman who won in casinos and had amazingly attractive men flirt with her.

* * *

The next morning she woke up in an unfamiliar hotel room, a soreness between her legs and a throbbing in her head. There was bizarre necklace around her throat. It was an old fashioned locket, the type her grandmother might have had. She looked around the room for any clue as to what might have happened the night before. It came to her in pieces, sitting at the bar, drinking, the man reaching to brush her hair out of her eyes. Her closing the distance to kiss him. The rest was foggy. Though the things she did remember made her blush. Covering her face she saw a note on the bedside table. Grabbing it, she read

Hello Queen of Hearts (That had been the nickname he'd come up with when she'd refused to tell him her real name.)

It was a pleasure getting to know you, however briefly it was. The room is paid for until tonight.

Until next we meet,

Your King

She rolled her eyes. What had seemed romantic and mysterious the night before sounded cheesy in the harsh glare of reality in the morning. She got up and looked around the room. It was super fancy. Beyond anything she could ever hope to afford. Getting into the shower, she took a bath, using the expensive bubble bath and got dressed. Leaving the casino, she quickly made her way to the closest pharmacy; she couldn't remember if they'd been safe last night. She was on the pill, but she couldn't be too careful.

Time passed and she didn't think of the stranger again. But she kept his necklace.

* * *

Moira Queen looked down at the woman in front of her, threatening her family. Her lip curled as she laid out in no uncertain terms that should she reveal what she knew to Oliver, she'd loose him. Who did this little impertinent nobody think she was? She was coming up with ways to remove the blonde nuisance when she caught sight of a necklace around her throat. And she recognized it.

"What a lovely piece." she murmured, reaching out for it. Felicity stepped back. "Where did you get it?"

She seemed nervous. She must have stolen it. There was only one piece like it in the world and she'd been there when Thomas Wayne had given it to Martha Kane. It should have been hers. Thomas should have been hers. "It was given to me." Felicity said.

"I highly doubt that." Moira made a grab for it, but Felicity was out of her reach. Running towards the door, she left Queen Mansion. Moira watched her go. If she'd stolen that necklace from Bruce Wayne it was the perfect opportunity to eliminate her...and have Bruce be so grateful that he'd consider allying himself with her family. After all, Bruce could so easily have been her son. She'd fly him in from Gotham to witness her candidacy announcement and have Felicity arrested in front of all of Starling, Oliver, and Bruce Wayne.

* * *

Felicity nervously watched all the cameras around her as they clamored to get the best angle of the podium. Oliver stood next to her. "Felicity." He asked. "You've been hiding something and I want to know what it is."

"Nothing's-" She began.

"Don't say it's nothing." He cut her off, putting his hands on her arms and looking her in the eyes. "Tell me."

She was about to tell him when Moira walked over, her arm through the arm of someone tall with dark hair. The man looked up and all the air went out of Felicity's lungs. It was the mysterious King of Hearts. She flinched away, pushing her glasses up.

"Oliver." Moira said. "Look who flew in from Gotham." She grinned. Felicity pressed her lips together. There was no way Moira could know about her one night stand it had been nearly 3 years ago.

"Bruce." Oliver put his best socialite face on and smiled at the man. He gave Oliver a cursory look, a matching fake smile in place. He looked over at Felicity and the smile faltered and his eyes widened almost imperceptibly. His eyes went down to her throat where she still wore the necklace and a gleam entered them. She shifted, nervous. Her face flushing. She didn't remember much from that night, but whatever she didn't remember must have been good, because her subconscious was telling her to get as close to him as possible.

"Bruce Wayne." he said, holding out his hand.

"Felicity Smoak." She said, he brought her hand to his lips.

"That is such a lovely necklace, Ms. Smoak." Moira's eyes were gleaming in triumph. "Don't you think, Bruce?"

"It is." Bruce looked at Moira. "It was my mother's. But you already knew that." He looked back at Felicity and said. "I gave it to Ms. Smoak the day I married her."

Around them the reporters and assembled guests were whispering in excitement and anticipation, but their group was struck silent.

"Married her?" Oliver spoke first, looking at Felicity. "You're married?"

"I'm as surprised as you are." She looked over at Bruce Wayne. He reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out a piece of paper. Handing it to her, he watched smugly as she read it. It clearly stated that Felicity Meghan Smoak had married Bruce Robert Anthony Wayne. She felt faint; it couldn't be true.

Bruce looked over at Moira and pulling out of her grasp. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think Mrs. Wayne and I have some things to discuss." He offered his arm to Felicity. She took it gingerly, her heart fluttering slightly as she put her hand through the crook of his arm.


	2. Chapter 2

Bruce swept his eyes across the crowded casino floor. This was the part of his work he hated the most, but he needed complete assurance that no one would question his presence in Vegas. The Royal Flush Gang had been working their way across the country, robbing banks. All of his intel told him they'd hit this casino when the money was being transferred to the bank at 3 am. There was an empty seat at a black jack table. 4 people were about to start a hand. 2 women, 2 men. He took a seat next to the younger of the two women. She was wearing a tight blue dress and was affecting an aloof look, but Bruce wasn't fooled. She was looking at each card that was dealt...she was counting. Bruce sat next to her. The dealer looked at him, annoyed but she recognized him. The hotel manager had probably informed every employee in the building to be on the lookout for him should he partake in the casino. As soon as she recognized him she dealt him in.

The card counter was distracted. Him sitting next to her had clearly thrown her off. She lost the first hand. He did as well, but that was okay. It was all part of his plan; appear to lose loudly at cards, pretend to get drunk then find at least one woman to bring back to his suite. That way, if anyone caught sight of Batman taking down the Royal Flush Gang, they would never connect him with Bruce Wayne. She was trying to count again, but he noted that she kept glancing his way. Perfect. She probably recognized him; this could work to his advantage. Leaning close he murmured. "If you're going to count, you should focus better."

She went completely rigid, gripping the cards in front of her. Bruce blinked slightly. That was strange. She clearly thought he was going to alert the management. Maybe she hadn't recognized him? She was staring at him, fear evident in her eyes. He gave her a wink. She relaxed slightly, knowing she was safe. With that out of the way, she brought her attention back to counting again, ignoring him. Her concentration complete, she cleaned out the table. The dealer knew what was happening, but Bruce moved his seat closer to her, making it clear that he would not tolerate anyone removing her.

"Can I buy you a drink?" Bruce asked as they got up. She hesitated and her confident demeanor faltered slightly. For a second he thought she'd refuse. Then she smiled and nodded, taking the seat he offered her.

"So, what brings you to Vegas?" He asked, signalling the bar tender.

She ordered a glass of champagne and leaned back in her chair. "Personal things." She was hiding something. Her fingers twitched slightly and her eyes ducked down. He'd been taught to read micro expressions and he recognized someone who was going through something tragic. After all what type of personal business led a person to count cards in a casino? She was trying to escape from something. The more they talked, the more he was sure she had no idea who she was talking to. She was clearly an idealist and talked about things like saving the world. She was direct, unapologetic about her opinions and while she was hiding some pain, she didn't censor any of her opinions. He knew others around them were beginning to suspect who he was, but she seemed oblivious and in a way, it was relaxing. He might be on a mission, but part of him could pretend. After all they were both strangers in a bar; it was expected that they would have secrets. Besides it was so rare to find someone he could simply talk to. Most women he had one night stands with were models and weren't much for conversation and anyone else was too star struck by the image of Bruce Wayne to be honest with him. They never told him anything besides what they thought he wanted him to hear. A part of him wished he'd met her under different circumstances; he wouldn't have minded continuing to talk to her.

"So what's your name?" He asked, surprised by just how much he wanted to know. She tilted her head, she'd had 3 glasses of champagne and was a bit tipsy.

"What do you think my name is?" She challenged and he couldn't fight his smile.

"I think you." He reached behind her ear and pulled away a card. "Are the queen of hearts." He watched as she flushed, taking the card from his hands. She smiled, looking up at him, her eyes reminding him of a clear summer's day.

"And who might my king be?" She asked.

"Do you need one?" He asked. She shook her head.

"It's not necessary." She said, "but he might be fun to have." Her eyes widened as she realized what she'd said. Bruce chuckled. A lock of her hair escaped her up do and he reached to brush it behind her ear. She brought her hand up over his. They stared at each other, frozen for a second. Then she breached the divide to press her lips against his. She tasted like lipstick and champagne. It was a tentative kiss, as though she wasn't sure if he wanted to respond or if she was doing it correctly. He smiled and pulled her closer, his tongue teasing her lips. She sighed and parted them slightly, her hands gripping at the front of his blazer. She was intoxicating and he even though he'd only pretended to drink he felt his head spin. He pulled her closer.

"We need your help."

The strange voice broke through his haze and he turned to glare at the intruder. It was a woman clutching a man next to her. They were both drunk and seemed completely unaware that they'd interrupted something. Bruce growled, his grip on the blonde tightened. She was blushing furiously.

"What is it?" She asked.

"We're getting married!" The brunette said. "I'm Allie, this is Marcus." She hugged her fiancee.

"Congratulations." Bruce said flatly.

"We need witnesses, could the two of you please help us?" Allie pouted. "Please, it's for love."

Bruce was going to refuse, but the woman next to him's eye were shining and she nodded.

"I'd be happy to." She said. Allie let out a squeal and threw her arms around her, jumping up and down. Bruce sighed. He didn't want to help Allie and Marcus get married. He wanted to continue kissing his mystery woman. But the only way to stay close to her was to help the other couple go through with their stupid ceremony."

"Where is this happening?" He grumbled.

That was how he found himself standing at an altar with the blonde next to him watching Allie and Marcus getting married by an Elvis impersonator. It was about 5 minutes into the ceremony that he realized something was wrong. There were two marriage licenses in front of fake Elvis. His eyes widened as fake Elvis turned to them and said. "I'll get to you two love birds in a minute. Thank you, thank you very much," in a terrible Elvis accent. The blonde was staring up at the ceiling at the different tea lights and hadn't heard him. There were tears falling from her eyes.

"It's so beautiful." She whispered. "Like stars."

"Maybe we should go." He suggested.

She shook her head. "We need to make sure that Allie and Marcus' marriage is legal." She insisted. "They're in love and that's important. Life is so short and you never know when someone you love is going to leave you." Her eyes widened and he realized she'd revealed more than she'd ever intended to. She turned and he heard a sniff as she wiped her eyes. She clearly hadn't realized that this wedding had inadvertently become her own.


	3. Chapter 3

Not Elvis turned to look at them, handing them what Bruce recognized as a marriage license. The blonde signed first. Bruce looked over her shoulder; Felicity Meghan Smoak. Felicity, so now he knew her name.

It was his turn next. He looked down at the pen Felicity was handing him. Taking it, he weighed his options. If he married someone it would definitely make sense for his cover. No one would come looking for him or disturb him now and as soon as Felicity fell asleep, he could take out the Royal Flush Gang without anyone putting two and two together. Then annulling this would be simple enough. There was no way she could stand up to Wayne Enterprises' army of lawyers. Especially since he was willing to bet that this type of behavior was completely out of character for her.

He signed the paper and took it, tucking it into his breast pocket. It would be important to have the original document as leverage if there was legal trouble later.

"By the power vested in me by the state of Nevada ah now pronounce youuuuu.." Fake Elvis drew out the you for added emphasis, "ah husband and wife."

Bruce rolled his eyes as Felicity clapped her hands, smiling as Allie and Marcus kissed. The two couples parted ways. Bruce smiled down at her as she hung on to his arm, swaying to some music only she could hear. "So, what do you want to do now?" He asked.

She looked at him thoughtfully, her tongue dart out of her mouth to brush the corner of her lips.

"It's loud here." She said slowly. He could feel her hands shaking slightly. She was nervous, but there was determination in her gaze. "Is there somewhere we can go?"

He looked at the elevators. "I have a room in the hotel here." He said, letting the suggestion hang. It had to be her decision. She nodded her head, tugging at his sleeve. He let her lead him towards the elevators. Alone in the elevator, he put his arm around her. Felicity put her head on his shoulder. Time seemed to slow as she met his gaze, her eyes wide, sparkling. She parted her lips, her tongue brushing across the inside of her bottom lip. He wondered what it would be like to taste her lips. He didn't have to wonder long, She gripped his blazer and pulled him down. It was as though lightning was racing through his veins.

Hurried breaths, small gasps, growls and groans. He dimly registered opening the door to his suite. There was a tear of fabric as Felicity's dress fell to the ground. Lying on the bed, she looked up at him, her eyes wide. She ran her hand down his chest, opening his shirt. "So many scars." She murmured, drinking him in.

"I fell through a window as a child." He said, feeling as though he needed to explain himself to her. Ashamed that he had to lie.

She trailed her fingers across one of the larger ones that traversed his chest. He shuddered, the touch making his blood rush.

"So beautiful." She whispered.

"So are you."

* * *

She fell asleep, a contented and happy smile on her face. Bruce watched her sleep for a few minutes before getting to his feet. He had a job to do. There had been a purpose to his actions that night and he couldn't let her presence derail his goal. Moving towards the closet he pulled out the locked suitcase with his batsuit. Punching in the code, he glanced back at the bed where Felicity was still motionless before getting dressed.

"Alfred." He said, activating his com.

"Master Bruce." Alfred said. "Are we ready to begin tonight's activities?"

"Yes." He growled in his batvoice. Opening the window, he looked back at Felicity before stepping out on the balcony. "I need you to check something for me while I go find the Royal Flush Gang. Find me anything you can on Felicity Meghan Smoak."


	4. Chapter 4

The Royal Flush Gang had been ridiculously easy to take down. In fact the set up for being there had been more work than the actual take down. Watching from the top of his hotel, he saw the Vegas police department pulling the thieves into a large armored van. Slipping back into his suite, he paused in the window. The curtains fluttered around him. Felicity was on the bed, sleeping. She shivered as a breeze washed over her, curling herself further into the blankets. Bruce silently shut the window, pulling off his cowl. Stealing across the room, he took off his suit, gathering up the clothes he'd discarded on the floor.

He looked down at Felicity. He had two options, either get back into bed with her or leave. If he stayed they could have the awkward morning after conversation. She probably be embarrassed and he could have his annulment straight away. If he left...he could have it done through one of his lawyers. It would be simpler. Easier. He knew her name and he had the marriage license. She didn't know his. It would be colder and more impersonal, but efficient.

"Master Bruce." Alfred said. "I have the information you asked for."

Bruce walked away from Felicity, going into the bathroom to make sure he wouldn't wake her up. "Go ahead, Alfred."

"Felicity Meghan Smoak, BA/MA student at MIT in Cyber security. She's got a 4.0 GPA and a perfect SAT score. There's not much else. Raised by a single mother, Donna Smoak. Her father is listed as Noah Kuttler, but he's no longer in the picture. Her mother divorced him when Felicity was 6. She's skipped 3 grades and by all accounts is a genius." He paused. "What's this for, Master Bruce?"

Bruce looked back at the door. What would a woman like her be doing in Vegas counting cards? "Anything else?" He asked Alfred. She'd been sad, hiding something. He had to know what.

"There isn't much..." Alfred said. "Hold on. Ah..." Bruce heard him typing. "This might be something. One of her classmates, a Cooper Seldon, was arrested by the FBI recently."

Bruce bit back a smile. "And here I thought you didn't approve of my putting a worm in government databases." He remarked. Alfred scoffed.

"I now see it's value." He conceded. There was another paused then, "oh dear."

"What is it?" Bruce demanded.

"It says here that Felicity visited Mr. Seldon and that he hung himself in prison about 3 weeks ago. Felicity came to Vegas to visit her mother soon after."

"To escape." Bruce murmured. "She wanted to run from the pain of losing someone." Whoever this Cooper had been, she and him must have been close. "Thank you, Alfred. I'll be back in Gotham soon." Shutting off the com and pulling on his clothes, he left the bathroom. Walking over to the bed, he looked at Felicity. There was a good chance that she wouldn't remember the details of the night in the morning. He glanced outside. The sun would be up in a few hours, chasing away the cover of night and bathing everything in the harsh glare of the sun. This would be real. Right now, she was a tortured genius: grieving and beautiful, mysterious. The morning could reveal all sorts of ugly truths. He could leave and this moment would freeze. He looked at the hotel notepad and scrawled out a message for her. Then he reached into a compartment in the utility belt of his batsuit. He always kept two small pieces of his parents on him when he was fighting. One of his father's cufflinks and a necklace that had belonged to his mother. It had been a specially made gift his father gave to her the night they began dating at some fancy socialite party. He'd said he'd fallen in love with her because she wasn't afraid to be honest with him and had told Bruce that one day he'd find someone who'd do the same for him. Bruce didn't know why he left the necklace with the note, but a part of him wanted to see it around Felicity's neck.

He got up, pressing a kiss to her forehead, he turned to leave. She could be an asset in the future and this way...this way he had a way to get close to her if he should need it. An excuse to contact her again.

* * *

"Master Bruce." Alfred said as he got off the plane. The old butler held open the door of the car and ushered him inside. "I trust you had a restful vacation."

"It was certainly one to remember." Bruce pulled the marriage license out of his pocket and handed it to him. Alfred held the paper, his eyes growing wide as he read.

"I suppose the proper thing would be to say congratulations?" He said slowly. "Did you go through with your nuptials before or after I supplied you with the information?" He shut the door and got into the driver's seat.

"Before." Bruce said. Alfred sighed heavily. "It was for my cover." He explained.

"I suppose she's being served with an annulment?"

"No." Bruce leaned back in the seat and crossed his arms behind his head, enjoying the long suffering slump of Alfred's shoulders. It was puerile, but sometimes he really enjoyed messing with the old butler.

"No." Alfred repeated slowly, turning on the car and beginning to drive. "Well then, when should I expect the new Mrs. Wayne to arrive?"

"She's not coming here either." Bruce said. "She didn't know who I was and I'd like to keep it that way, for now." Alfred stiffened, frowning as he looked at Bruce in the rear view mirror.

"I do not see why you need to remain married to her."

"Because she could be an asset in the future."

"And the only way to do that is to stay married?" Alfred said. "I believe there is a flaw in your logic...in that you do not appear to have any logic."

"I know what I'm doing." He said.

"I highly doubt that." Alfred murmured. "You allowed yourself to get emotional, Master Bruce."

"I thought you wanted me to settle down and have a family." Bruce countered.

"Not like this." Alfred murmured, fixing his eyes on the road in front of him.


	5. Chapter 5

He kept tabs on her after that. Not that he necessarily needed to; Alfred made it his personal mission to discover as much as he could about her and gave him regular 'Felicity Reports' with his morning coffee. He clearly approved of her and made it clear to Bruce that he'd made a huge mistake by not telling her immediately.

"She is graduating today." He said one morning. "Summa Cum Laude with a Master's degree."

Bruce took the coffee. "Thank you, Alfred."

"I am curious." Alfred continued, walking back into the kitchen. "Why you didn't ask to give MIT's commencement address?"

"Because I'm already speaking at Gotham State U." Bruce murmured.

"That's next week." Alfred countered. "Is there a law written that you can't give more than one commencement address?"

"Alfred." Bruce sighed.

"I also noticed." Alfred continued. "That Wayne Enterprises did not give her a very competitive job offer."

Bruce rubbed his eyes, impressed by Alfred's resourcefulness when he wanted to irritate him. "That was HR's doing." He murmured, knowing it wouldn't be enough to satisfy Alfred.

"Of course." Alfred said dryly. "How thoughtless of me to believe that the CEO could have any say in the operations of his own company."

"If I show favoritism people will get suspicious." Bruce countered.

"Yes because god forbid anyone know you're married. Including your wife." Alfred muttered. "That would be madness."

"Alfred, we've been over this." Bruce sighed. leaning his face on his hands.

"She seems to be a very nice and intelligent person, I'm failing to see why you haven't contacted her." Alfred said. "And you were clearly taken with her, seeing as you haven't served her with a divorce."

"The opportunity has yet to present itself either way." Bruce murmured, earning another low, long suffering sigh from his butler.

"Then create the opportunity." Alfred snapped. "What happens if one day she meets someone, falls in love and wants to marry them?"

Bruce gripped his coffee cup his hands shaking slightly. He'd thought about that, but there hadn't been any indication that she was even dating anyone.

"She accepted a position at Queen Consolidated." Alfred said. "She's going to be on the other side of the country working for Moira Queen."

"Walter Steele is the CEO of Queen Consolidated." Bruce murmured. Alfred snorted.

"Master Bruce, I know you are not so naive."

Bruce stood. "I don't like her being near Moira, but if I show interest in her now, it'll only put her at risk." His relationship with the Queen family had always been strained. He'd always suspected it had something to do with his parents, though that didn't stop Moira from trying to bring him to Starling. As Oliver was only 3 years younger than Bruce, she'd tried to force their friendship after his parents' deaths. He sighed, Oliver was dead now. Leaving the kitchen he heard Alfred say.

"Be honest, Master Bruce. You are afraid. But the longer you wait..." He stopped talking. Bruce hunched his shoulders and went to get a car. Maybe he was scared and Alfred was right about waiting.

"How stupid does he think people are?" Bruce glared at the TV where Oliver Queen was waving at a crowd of reporters, having just been cleared of being the Hood.

"The hood was seen while he was in custody." Alfred pointed out.

"Which implies he has an accomplice." Bruce growled. "Queen comes back from a deserted island and not even a week later this hooded menace starts killing people." He shook his head.

"I wonder what his motivation is?" Alfred asked.

"The wrong one." Bruce growled. "He's appointed himself judge, jury, and executioner. He has no right-"

"Why don't you go to Starling?" Alfred suggested. "Teach him the errors of his ways or at least stop him."

Bruce frowned at the TV, not at all fooled. "Nice try, Alfred."

"She could be in danger, crime in Starling has gone up and the criminals more creative." Alfred pointed out.

"Because things in Gotham are safe?" Bruce turned his attention to the cave's computers where scan after scan was being run. Someone was murdering drug addicts, homeless people, and others on the margins, making them look like overdoses. He'd been running tests on their blood, but the drug in their system was unlike anything Bruce had ever seen before.

"It could be a bad strain of a new drug." Alfred suggested.

"The last person had bruises on their ankles and wrists suggesting they'd been restrained." Bruce pulled up the autopsy report. "And no one can self inject into that part of the neck with that pinpoint accuracy without a medical degree. Especially not someone who was going through withdrawal" The latest victim had gone missing from a rehab facility only to be found dead from an apparent overdose. "She was trying to clean up for her children." He murmured.

Alfred sighed. "Gotham is always dangerous, but wouldn't you prefer for your wife to be at your side where you can protect her as opposed to leaving her protection in the hands of Oliver Queen?"

Bruce was about to respond when an alert when off. "Gordon's put up the signal." He stood, pulling his cowl over his head. "We'll discuss this later."

* * *

Alfred was right. He thought to himself as he drove out. Queen was arrogant; he hadn't been operating long enough to be cautious and by working at his family's company, Felicity was way closer to him than Bruce was comfortable with. It might be time to bring her in. He stopped the car a few blocks from the police station. Getting out, he climbed a building and jumped across rooftops until he got to the roof before the police station. He was about to cross over, when he froze. Gordon was no where to be seen. Something was wrong. Backing away, he turned and almost ran into a man in a military grade tactical suit with two swords poking out of two scabbards on his back. His face was covered by an orange and black mask.

"Going somewhere?" He asked. His voice was low and gruff with a thick Australian accent.

"What have you done to Commissioner Gordon?" Bruce growled.

"He's fine, though he's going to have quite a headache." The man sounded amused. "I heard the surest way to get your attention was through that toy." He pointed at the signal. "You've been meddling in my affairs."

Bruce stepped back. "You're the one who's been killing people in my city."

"Your city?" The man laughed. "Well, isn't that touching. And because I stepped into your side of the sandbox, you decided to eliminate your competition."

"You're killing people." Bruce said. "And for that, I'm going to have you arrested." He pulled his fist back and punched at the man only to find his fist caught. He watched in horror as with very little effort, his opponent pushed his fist back. Bruce struck out again, and again his strike was blocked. He was unnaturally strong and fast. Bruce stepped back, regrouping and trying to think of a new strategy.

"Had enough already?" The man asked.

Bruce pulled a smoke bomb out of his utility belt, throwing it in front of him, he shot a grapple line and jumped, only to be yanked back by his cape.

"Nice toys." He commented. Bruce dropped the grapple line and flipped over his opponent's shoulders, covering the man's face with his cape. Unhooking it from his suit, he tied it off, kicking the man in the back of the knee. It was as though he was kicking a piece of concrete and a shock trembled through his leg. He stepped back. The man yanked the cape off his head and turned. Grabbing one of his swords, he took a swipe at Bruce. Bruce jumped back. The man's strength was unnatural. It was almost as though he'd been enhanced...which gave Bruce and idea. The analysis of the drug had shown that it had changed its victim's cellular structure before it killed them. He needed to get a sample of this man's blood, which meant he needed to get closer.

He ducked another sword strike, using the opening to attach a small chip onto the swordsman's wrist. Moving back, he tapped his utility belt, letting the chip explode. The man gasped, dropping his sword to grab at his wrist. Bruce kicked it away and used the swordsman's momentary distraction to knock him down. Blood dripped from his wrist. Bruce pulled a pipette from his utility belt and collected a sample. He'd just put the sample away before having to dodge another blow from the swordsman.

"Aren't you clever." The swordsman growled. Bruce rolled away from him, but the swordsman grabbed him and threw him to the other side of the roof top. He hit the side, crumpling to the ground. There was cracking noise and he counted at least two fractured ribs. Getting to his feet, he barely had a change to catch his breath before being thrown to the ground again by the swordsman. Blow after blow rained down on him. He rolled onto his back, grabbing another exploding chip from his belt and attached it to the man's neck. There was a howl of pain and the swordsman stepped back, clutching his neck. Bruce signaled to the Batmobile and grabbed a grapple, jumping from the roof. He swung down, ignoring the screaming protests in his limbs and chest. The Batmobile stopped below him, opening its roof. He landed inside, hitting the autopilot to direct the Batmobile home. Collapsing back against the seat, he tried to remain conscious as the car drove back to the BatCave.

"Master Bruce." Alfred was there the second the roof opened. "What happened?"

"He's not human." Bruce gasped, collapsing to the ground.

"Let's get you to the med table." Alfred put Bruce's arm over his shoulder, pulling him up and leading him to the other side of the lab. Bruce could barely keep his eyes open and blacked out as soon as Alfred turned on the scanner.


	6. Chapter 6

"3 fractured ribs, broken wrist, shattered upper arm, dislocated shoulder, concussion, slipped disk and broken femur." Alfred read the laundry list of injuries as soon as Bruce was awake. He shut his eyes.

"There's a sample of blood in my utility belt." He tried to get up. "I need to run a-"

"Don't even think about it." Alfred put his hand on his shoulder. "You have no idea how difficult it was for me to bring you up here and you are not leaving this bed until I clear you."

Bruce leaned back. "The sample." He said.

"I will analyze it and give you the results as soon as they are available." He paused, worry etched onto his features. Bruce felt a stab of guilt for causing him to fear for his life. "What happened?"

"The man who did this." Bruce began. "He was afraid I was getting too close. He's connected to those deaths..." He looked down at the bandages and casts on his body. "I was wrong. They're not the result of a serial killer. He's a mad scientist, trying to replicate whatever was done to him." There was a stab of pain as he breathed. "He's super human. I need to look into any eugenic experiments ." He stopped, his breath coming in short gasps.

"You need to rest." Alfred insisted. "Relax and heal." He paused. "You know...having someone here to care for you in your time of need might be-"

"I'm not telling her, Alfred." Bruce snapped. "Certainly not now. That man targeted me tonight so being close to me is dangerous." He ground his teeth. "And until I heal, I shouldn't bring in any more complications."

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Complications." He said icily.

"I don't want her hurt, Alfred." He looked down at his injuries again. "And as much as I hate the idea of her being in Starling, I don't think I could live with myself if I uprooted her life only to get her killed in Gotham."

* * *

He was still recovering when Starling was wracked by the earthquake. She was safe, he assured himself of that.

"Master Bruce." Alfred said, coming into the batcave. "I sincerely hope you are not planning on going out tonight."

"He's gone." Bruce glared at the screen. "There haven't been any suspicious deaths in Gotham since our fight and now...there's a report of one in Starling."

"You think he's moved." Alfred said.

"It's the same MO." Bruce explained. "Vagrants, people no one would think to look for...with the same bleeding from the eyes." He sighed.

"So this means you're going to go to Starling." Alfred said.

"I don't see that I have much choice." He said. "At the very least, I need to inform the Arrow of the danger he faces." He paused, "I just need to establish a cover."

"Be careful, Master Bruce." Alfred said, icily. "The last time you established a cover, you ended up married, and that won't work twice."

"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce said, grinding his teeth. Then his eyes widened. Felicity was in Starling with that monster. He needed to make sure she was out of the way...perhaps it might be time to reveal their connection. A glance at Alfred showed him that he had the same thought. "I-"

The phone rang. Alfred looked at it. "It is Moira Queen."

"Moira?" She'd been released from prison and while she'd invited him to her welcome home party, Bruce had refused. He didn't want to be associated with her.

"Shall I answer?" Alfred said. Bruce hesitated, but nodded.

"Put it on speaker, but don't let her know I'm here." He instructed.

Alfred nodded before answering.

"Bruce, dear it's Moira."

"I'm afraid it's not Bruce, Mrs. Queen. Master Wayne is...occupied at the moment entertaining a personal guest."

"Ah, of course." Moira seemed unsurprised. Bruce glared at Alfred who shrugged. It was true that he'd had a reputation, but he hadn't slept with anyone since Felicity. "Well, I was calling to see if Bruce might be interested in visiting Starling this week. I'm making an important announcement in 2 days and it's so important to have those who are close to us around us. I was so sad to hear he'd been injured."

Alfred chuckled. "Well, he was always one for adventure, hopefully next time he'll remember a parachute." The story they'd told the press to explain his injuries was a plane jumping accident followed by a healing trip in Switzerland to explain his absence from Gotham society. "He just got back yesterday but I do not believe he will be opposed to another journey."

Bruce nodded.

"I will be so happy to see him again. Thomas was such a good friend and I miss him everyday."

"As do we all." A look of annoyance crossed Alfred's face. "I will relay the message to Master Bruce."

"Thank you." Moira gave Alfred the address of the announcement. Bruce turned his attention back to the computer as Alfred declined Moira's invitation to stay at the Queen mansion before hanging up.

"Thomas was such a good friend." Alfred muttered. "Of course she'd say that."

Bruce turned, looking at him with interest. "What happened between the Queens and my parents?" He asked. Alfred sighed.

"I suppose it is of no consequence now." He murmured. "Moira's family wanted her to marry your father. It was quite medieval, from what I understand. Your father met and fell in love with your mother and began dating her. Moira was furious; it had been common knowledge that she'd expected him to be with her and he publicly humiliated her when he presented your mother with a custom made necklace at a party. She married Robert Queen soon after, but a part of her has never gotten over your father's snub and believes she should have been Mrs. Wayne."

Bruce blinked in surprise. "That is very medieval." He agreed. "That necklace..."

Alfred nodded. "It's the one you gave Mrs. Wayne...ah. My apologies; Ms. Smoak."

Bruce sighed, looking away. "You've made your point, Alfred." he stood and walked out of the cave. "I need to pack." He wondered whether it might be easier to have Felicity meet Batman first. That way she'd understand why it had been necessary to keep her at arms length. Then after establishing whether or not she could be trusted, he'd reveal his-

"Master Bruce." Alfred called after him, pulling him from his musings. "Make sure she meets you first and not your caped counterpart." Bruce frowned, slightly unnerved by Alfred's perceptiveness. Alfred simply tugged on his suit lapels and arched an eyebrow. "You're not half as mysterious as you believe you are. Do remember that at one point I changed your diapers."


	7. Chapter 7

Bruce entered the building where Moira was going to make her announcement. It seemed unbelievable that she thought she had a shot at becoming mayor, but here she was; ready to announce her candidacy. He hadn't been there for three seconds when Moira caught sight of him and latched onto his side. "Bruce, I'm so glad you could make it."

He plastered his best socialite smile on his face and quickly noted where the cameras were. As long as he wasn't on the podium with Moira when she announced he could disavow any interest in supporting her candidacy. As he scanned the room, he looked for Felicity. He'd brought the marriage certificate and the moment Moira turned her attention elsewhere, he'd duck out and try to find her. The problem was Moira had a vise grip on his arm and was chatting away about this or that, leading him across the room...towards Oliver. Oliver was talking to a short woman with blonde hair...Bruce frowned. It couldn't be...that was too much of a coincidence.

"Oliver." Moira called over to him. He and the blonde both turned. Felicity's eyes widened and her face turned red, her fingers reaching for the necklace at her throat. She recognized him...and she'd kept the necklace. He couldn't help a slight feeling of smugness. He also noted that her eyes went to the grip Moira had on his arm and she shifted to a more defensive pose. She didn't trust Moira. Good. "Look who flew in from Gotham."

"Bruce" Oliver gave him a tight lipped smile. It was painfully transparent. Bruce grit his teeth. If Queen didn't get better at masking his emotions, he was going to be exposed. Bruce wondered how many people around them realized exactly how fake this conversation was. How many secrets and lies three of people in their group of four were responsible for. Was Felicity even aware of who Queen was? Oliver's shoulders were tense and he was clearly annoyed that his conversation with Felicity had been interrupted. Felicity was looking at him in confusion. He held out his hand.

"Bruce Wayne." He said, not wanting to show his cards just yet. She hesitated before putting her hand in his.

"Felicity Smoak."

He smiled, bringing her hand up, brushing her fingers against his lips. they were warm, matching her flushed face. Oliver cleared his throat, his eyes flashing as he watched their interaction. Bruce ignored him.

"That is a lovely necklace, Ms. Smoak." Moira's tone was conversational, but there was an edge. Bruce looked down at her, seeing a look of mad happiness in her eyes. "Don't you think so, Bruce?"

She recognized it. Of course she did. Moira Queen was never one to forget a slight and his father choosing his mother over her must really be raking at her consciousness if she remembered that necklace. Then something else clicked. Moira hadn't invited him there to support her candidacy. She'd brought him here to embarrass Felicity, probably hurt her. That was unacceptable. "It is." He said, keeping his eyes on Moira, letting a bit of his Batvoice slip into his tone. "It was my mother's. But you already knew that." She flinched, but managed to maintain her composure. Bruce turned his gaze to Felicity. He needed to look at her, she knew Moira was trying to hurt her and he wanted her to know she wasn't alone and that he'd protect her. "I gave it to Ms. Smoak the day I married her."

Her mouth dropped open. Moira's eyes popped out of her head. Oliver's jaw twitched, his nostrils flaring.

"Married her." Oliver was the first to speak, his voice a low growl as he parroted Bruce's words. He whipped his head to look at Felicity. "You're married?"

"I'm as surprised as you are." Felicity's voice was faint, her eyes locked on Bruce's he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the marriage license, handing it to Felicity. She took it, her eyes growing wider as she read it. She swallowed looking up at him. Bruce pulled his arm out of Moira's hold, moving closer to Felicity. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think Mrs. Wayne and I have somethings to discuss." He offered Felicity his arm. She hesitated, looking around. It appeared to be a choice between going with him and staying with Moira and Oliver, both of whom looked furious. For a moment he thought she wouldn't take it, and his heart clenched. He only relaxed once she took his arm. He walked them across the room and out of the door, feeling Oliver and Moira's anger follow them. At the door a tall black man in a suit moved to block them.

"Everything okay Felicity?" He asked.

"Yeah Digg." She smiled up at him. "I'm fine."

Digg seemed unconvinced but nodded, moving out of the way. Bruce led them out of the room. The second they were far enough away, Felicity pulled her arm out of his grasp and turned to face him.

"Is this real?" She held up the marriage license, her hand shaking slightly.

"Yes." He said.

Felicity nodded. "Okay...and this is from that night three years ago in Vegas...when I..." She blushed furiously. "That was you?"

Bruce couldn't help the smug expression that played out onto his face as he nodded.

"And you're Bruce Wayne?" She shook her head, looking away from him, beginning to pace, putting a hand to her mouth as she looked at the license. "And you're married, to me. I'm married. And have been for 3 years."

"Felicity." He moved to comfort her.

SMACK.

There was a white hot flash of pain across his face and he put a hand to his cheek, stunned. He hadn't even seen that coming. Blinking he looked down at her. The former rather endearing flustered look had transformed into one of fury.

"I've been married for 3 years and you just decide to tell me NOW?" She hissed.

"It's complicated." He began.

"Oh really?" Felicity snapped. "Do they not have phones in Gotham? Am I supposed to believe that you, a multi-billionaire, don't have access to private investigators and divorce lawyers?"

"If you'll just let me explain-" But again she didn't let him finish.

"3 YEARS." She shoved the license back at him. He took it, dumbfound at the strength of her rage. He'd been expecting being "You've had 3 years to explain." She was breathing heavily, tears in her eyes. "Send me whatever papers you want, I'll sign them." His heart sank as she reached for the clasp of the necklace. "And you can have this back."

"Keep it." He said, putting his hand on hers. He knew she wouldn't let him explain, she was too angry, but he didn't want her to push him away completely...though he probably deserved it. She glared at him, but lowered her hand; leaving the necklace in place.

"The next time you see me." She said. "You had better be handing me divorce papers." Turning, she left the building.


	8. Chapter 8

Felicity ran to her car, her vision blurring as she fumbled with the key. Opening the door and getting into the driver's seat, she slumped in her seat, covering her mouth. Tears began to fall as she struggled to reign in her thoughts. And to think: this morning her biggest worry had been how to tell Oliver. She sat up; Oliver. She hadn't told him about Thea. Her head hit the headrest. This entire day was one big disaster. She needed to get her emotions under control, figure out what the hell she was going to do. She turned on the car, driving out of the garage.

Married. Married in Vegas like some kind of rom com cliche. Married to Bruce Freaking Wayne of all people. And the worst part was that an annulment was probably off the table since they'd consummated...her cheeks burned as she thought of it. Sure her memories of that night were fuzzy, but she did remember being happy, wanting everything and Bruce giving it to her. She slowed her breathing, shivering slightly. Do not go there. Do not think of him positively, she told herself. However good he was at sex, they'd been married for 3 years and he hadn't told her...why? It wasn't as though he hadn't known and it definitely didn't do good things for his image to be married, so why hadn't he divorced her? He'd just left. Had he not wanted her? She frowned. No. It didn't matter if he had wanted her or not. He didn't get the right to mess with her head this way. She wasn't going to fall apart because of a wedding that, until not even an hour ago, she hadn't known about.

She drove around for she didn't know how long, trying to figure out what she should do. Finally she decided on a plan. She'd go to Oliver. Explain that she'd had no idea about the marriage, tell him about Thea and then figure out what the hell she was going to do about being married to Bruce. With that plan in mind, she drove to the lair.

* * *

Moira watched the news dissecting her campaign announcement from Oliver's office. After the announcement Oliver had run off, presumably to get answers and Ms. Smoak had left...with Bruce Wayne. Moira glared at the computer as she shut it off. This was supposed to have been her moment and yet all she could think about was Oliver's irritating assistant. Felicity Smoak, married to Bruce Wayne. Her hands clenched. How could Walter have missed this when he hired her?

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she realized that Bruce had unwittingly handed her the solution to her problem. Felicity's credibility with Oliver had already been compromised because of her marriage, all he needed was one last push and it didn't matter what Felicity told him. He wouldn't believe her. She got up and walked to the elevator. Pressing a button for a lower floor, she tried to hold in her disgust for who she was about to meet. Of course, it wasn't ideal, but the enemy of her enemy was her friend. And if she went after Felicity on her own, Oliver would never forgive her. He foolishly cared for the girl and as upset as this news had made him, he might still try to protect her.

* * *

Married. Oliver glared at the training dummy as he punched it repeatedly. Felicity was married. To Bruce Wayne. That really grated on his nerves. Oliver had never really been close to him; he was arrogant, always had been and if that day's display was any indication, he still was. His father had always held Bruce up as a stellar example of what Oliver should strive to be. Bruce is the CEO of his company. Bruce didn't pee on a police officer, he donated money to their annual charity drive, Bruce spent his year abroad building orphanages. And Felicity had married him. How? When? Why? He paused. Glaring at the dummy. The why was clear; Bruce was everything he wasn't. Letting out a growl, he threw a punch that knocked the dummy to the floor.

"What did that dummy do to you?"

Oliver turned, looking behind him with his fists up. Sara arched an eyebrow. He lowered his hands, shifting into a less defensive pose. "Bad day." He grunted.

Sara crossed her arms, coming closer. "Laurel threw me out." She looked at the ground. "You?"

"It turns out one of my best friends is married to one of my least favorite people." He said. Sara looked at him in surprise, waiting for him to explain. He sighed. "Felicity is apparently married to Bruce Wayne."

Sara let out a low whistle. "Damn." She said.

He wiped his forehead, frowning. "It's been a day."

"Yeah." Sara agreed. "But...I'm home." She gave him a sheepish smile. They looked at each other. He wasn't sure who moved first but suddenly they were clashing in the middle of the room, tongues, lips colliding, clothes being torn away. They needed each other. It had always been like this with them. In times of hardship they'd helped each other in the only way they knew how. He needed to lose himself, get the pain of Felicity's marriage out of his head. They moved, groaning, losing themselves in each other. It was more fighting than sex. They both wanted to forget. Wanted to feel something more than the anger, guilt, and pain they both carried. He was so so close. So-

"Oliver, I need to talk to you- Oh my god!"

They looked up from their place on the mats. Felicity was standing in the halfway down the stairs of the lair, covering her eyes and looking away.

"I'll just." Her voice was hushed and she turned to run, but let out a shriek. There was a dark shape in the doorway. It was tall, wearing a cape with black pointed ears. Felicity stumbled in an effort to get away from the shape, but fell. Before Oliver could do anything, the shape had shot a grapple line and swung down, catching Felicity and holding her in its...no his, because now that he'd landed in a lighter part of the lair Oliver could see it was a man, arms. Felicity stepped away as soon as he put her down. Oliver rolled off of Sara.

"I need to speak with you, Arrow." Batman growled. "Is this a bad time?"


	9. Chapter 9

There was a moment of awkwardness as Sara Lance and Oliver pulled on their clothes. Bruce paid them no mind, instead focusing on Felicity. She worked with the Arrow? Why? For how long? and how had he not realized it? He wanted answers, but wasn't sure about how to do it without alerting Oliver to his identity. He'd wanted Felicity to learn of it...but now he wasn't so sure. If she'd been working with Oliver...that meant she'd helped him kill. Then he remembered something else; The Arrow had stopped killing in the last couple of months...except for an altercation at Queen Consolidated with a drug dealer known as the count...that had involved a QC employee. That coupled with the way she was avoiding looking at him and Sara.

Bruce was hit by another realization and his hands clenched. Squashing the rush of jealousy, he walked over to her. "Are you alright, Ms?" He lessened the harsh growl of the Batvoice to appear less threatening. She jumped, looking up at him in surprise before nodding.

"It's just been a day." She murmured. "Thank you, for not letting me fall and crack my head open, Batman..." She tilted her head. "You are Batman, right?"

He nodded, wanting to comfort her, but not wanting to arouse Oliver's suspicions.

"What are you doing here?" Oliver growled, moving towards Felicity. Sara had grabbed a bo staff. Bruce looked at the two in amusement.

"Believe me, she is in no danger from me." He growled. "I'm here to warn you about a new threat to your city. He's killed people in Gotham." He walked over to the computers. Felicity's eyes widened and she reached forward, opening her mouth. Bruce paused. "Ms. Smoak, do I have permission to input some information?" He held up a flash drive. She took it from him.

"You can't just stick it in without my knowing what it is." She hissed. Then her eyes widened slightly. Bruce smiled as she flushed. She turned away, focusing her energy on connecting the flashdrive, running a scan on it before opening the files. She moved away from the computers as images of dead bodies opened on the screen. "I'm going to be sick." She muttered, looking away. Oliver stepped forward, looking at the images. There was a look of recognition in his eyes as he coldly assessed them.

"This was the work of a man who's been running human enhancing experiments on people in Gotham. My intell says he's in Starling." Bruce watched as a vein in Oliver's neck jumped. "Judging from your expression you've seen something like this before?"

Oliver nodded, but didn't answer. Bruce was happy that at least he had some sense and wasn't tipping his cards.

"The man conducting these experiments is some type of superhuman." Bruce opened the video file. "This is a video of my confrontation with him." He glanced back at Felicity, watching her reaction. Her eyes were wide and she covered her mouth as she watched. "I call him Deathstroke." He said, she looked up, her eyes widening. Then she frowned slightly, examining him carefully.

"So you weren't able to handle one heavily armed mercenary," Oliver snapped. He was glaring at them. "And you came here to have me clean up your mess."

"My mess?" Bruce growled.

"If you'd taken him out in Gotham, he wouldn't be threatening my city."

"He's moved across the country, never staying too long in one place." Bruce was furious. "Ever since Gotham, he's only stayed longer than two weeks in one city." He glanced around the lair, unimpressed. "Starling. And if this is the best you can do, Mr. Queen-"

"You think," Felicity interrupted him. "That Starling was his target all along?" She was looking at him coldly.

"Yes." He said. "Gotham was a training ground. He left when I got too close, but when he confronted me, he made it clear that he had a plan." He looked around. "And why would he stay in a city with a vigilante unless it was part of his endgame." He turned. "Ms. Smoak." He turned the video off and closed the pictures. "Could you bring up any bizarre deaths reported in the last few months and track the locations they were found. Look specifically for anyone who showed signs of bleeding from the eyes."

Felicity nodded. She moved around him, avoiding coming too close before sitting in her chair. "This could take a while." She mumbled, refusing to look around her. Oliver made a move to look over her shoulder, but she glared up at him. "I think I can handle this on my own."

Oliver glared down at her before moving away.

Silence fell as Felicity worked. After about 30 minutes, she leaned back, pulling up a map of the city. "The deaths are in the glades. We already tracked them to a man in a skull mask."

"Ollie, can I talk to you?" Sara said, her voice hushed. She hadn't said anything since Bruce opened the video, but she gripped her bo staff tighter.

"Sara-"

"Ollie." Her eyes flashed as she jerked her head towards the corner. Oliver glanced back at Felicity before nodding and going off to the side with Sara.

"Do he usually not share information with his team?" Bruce asked as Sara and Ollie went out of hearing range. Felicity scoffed.

"You're not on our team." She looked up at him, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. "And he's not the only one who keeps secrets...Mr. Wayne."

Bruce felt the corner of his mouth twitch upwards. "And what are you planning on doing with that information, Mrs. Wayne?" Dropping his batvoice as he spoke. Felicity shivered and turned away, focusing on her screens.

"Don't call me that." She hissed.

"I think we need to talk." He glanced over at Sara and Oliver. "Somewhere without an audience." Tapping the side of his cowl next to his ear he listened in on Oliver and Sara's conversation through an amplifying device in his cowl.

"It's him, Ollie; you saw the mask."

"That doesn't mean anything. He wasn't the only person with that mask."

"The other person is dead."

"And so is he, Sara."

"You thought I was dead. You were wrong about that."

"I killed him myself. No one could have survived-"

Bruce had heard enough. "If the two of you have information regarding Deathstroke." He raised his voice loud enough so they could hear. "I would appreciate hearing it, seeing as he killed 23 people in my city."

Oliver and Sara looked at him with matching looks of horror. Oliver crossed his arms. "I don't need to share anything with you. Especially since you seem to know everything about us and yet we know nothing about you."

Bruce looked at him in disgust. "Just because you haven't been successful in guarding your identity doesn't mean I have to compromise mine." He heard Felicity shift uncomfortably next to him. It was a test to see if he could trust her. If she told Oliver, he'd cut all ties with her as she'd asked. She could be free of him, but something told him that she wouldn't be so quick to betray him. Keeping his gaze on Oliver, he waited for something to happen. If Felicity had figured it out, surely Oliver could marshal up enough brain cells to create some semblance of a suspicion. Silence. No one spoke. Oliver was the first to break the standoff.

"The mask your attacker was wearing is familiar, but the man who wore it is dead." He glared back at Sara, daring her to challenge him. "And that's all we know."

"Alright." Bruce said. "I'm staying on. If you need anything, I'll contact you." He turned and left. Waiting outside the club, it wasn't long before Felicity walked out. He jumped down from the roof, landing next to her car. She let out a surprised scream, then leaned against her car. Anger twisted her expression as she recognized him.

"I'm not talking to you." She spat, turning back to her car and pulling out her keys.

"Felicity."

"I lied to Oliver for you." She sounded horrified. "I should go back in there and tell him who you are."

"But you won't." Bruce said. "For two reasons. 1, because he's alone with Ms. Lance again, it won't be too long before they resume what we interrupted. 2, because you know he can't be trusted."

She turned, glaring up at him. "And I suppose I can trust you?" She let out a laugh. "I think there's the small issue of a three year lack of communication you've over looked."

He sighed. He'd known it wasn't going to be easy. Setting out a pulse to stop all the security cameras, he glanced around him. They were alone in the side street. He pulled off his cowl. Felicity bit her lip. "I promise you, you won't have to worry about me lying to you anymore." He said.

For a second he thought he'd broken through. Then she looked away from him. He should have known it wouldn't have been that easy. She was stubborn and strong willed...and he'd hurt her.

"This is the address of my hotel with my room number." He said. "I won't bother you unless you want me to." He pulled the cowl back over his head and stepped away. Shooting a grapple, he jumped onto a rooftop. Crouching down, he watched her. She looked at the card he'd given her and crumpled it in her hand, ready to throw it away. Then she lowered her arm, thinking. Shaking her head, she sighed heavily.

"Oh I'm going to regret this." She muttered, smoothing out the paper before putting it in her purse and getting into her car.


	10. Chapter 10

She couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she either saw Oliver and Sara having sex on the mats or Bruce Wayne calling her Mrs. Wayne. She wasn't sure which was worse. The Oliver and Sara image made her sick but the vision of Bruce made her squirm in a way that made her feel ashamed. He lied to her and hid their marriage for 3 years. She wasn't supposed to be fantasizing about him. She sat up, squinting into the darkness and reaching for her phone. It was only 4:30.

For the hundredth time she thought of the address in her purse and for the hundredth time, she forced herself to look away. She wasn't about to go running to Batman. She'd realized his identity the second he'd spoken to her in his suit. His presence in Starling, the way he'd been so gentle with her when he'd caught her...and the fact that she'd seen his scars that night 3 years ago. In addition, he had a very distinctive jaw line and lips that were just... She snapped herself out of that train of thought. She was not going to sit there thinking about Bruce Wayne and his stupidly handsome jawline. He'd put her in an even worse position than before she'd walked into the lair. What would happen when Oliver found out that she knew not only about Thea, but about Batman's identity as well and hadn't told him?

She flopped back down on the bed, glaring up at the ceiling. Hopefully if she fell asleep all this would be nothing more than a bad dream.

 _Large warm hands ran across her skin, leaving goosebumps on her stomach in their wake. She let out a small keen, arching her back into his touch._

 _He chuckled, his voice low. She felt the rumble in his chest beneath her fingers. Lips pressed to her neck. She felt heated, fuzzy. Gasping as fingers skated across her hips. Her legs opened. Letting out a moan as fingers slid inside, curling and stroking, she pressed her heels into the mattress. Heat washed over her skin, her breath came in small pants. She was surrounded by sensation; the softness of the sheets, the firm solidity of the man above her, the gentleness of his lips as he whispered words of encouragement and admiration into her skin, the rough callouses on his hands, her own heated skin and the tightness in her chest as she felt herself coming to the edge._

 _She looked over at him, gazing into his eyes. Bruce Wayne looked at her, his lips parted as a hungry gleam entered his gaze._

 _"You like that, Mrs. Wayne?" He asked._

Felicity sat up in horror, covering her face. She could still feel the ghost of his touch on her body. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she tried to force the memory of the dream out of her mind. Getting up, she ran to the shower turning the water as cold as she could stand. Stepping under the spray, she shivered. She'd see Oliver at work in a few hours. Maybe there was still a chance to fix this.

* * *

She should have known it wouldn't be that easy. The second she stepped off the elevator and walked towards the office, she saw Moira and Isabel waiting for her in the office. She swallowed as they broke off their conversation and watched her walk up to them. She slowed her pace, hearing her pulse pounding in her ears. This was bad. They weren't arguing; in fact they looked civil. And a world where Moira Queen and Isabel Rochev could get along was one she was sure she didn't want to live in. She smiled.

"Mrs. Queen. Ms. Rochev." Her voice was too high. She tried to remain calm. Clearing her throat, she continued. "Can I help you with something?"

"Mrs. Queen just informed me of your marital status." Isabel drawled. Felicity's eyes flickered to Moira. The older woman's face was a mask of concern.

"I just found out about that yesterday." Felicity said. "I-"

"The interesting thing." Isabel continued. "Is that on your application you listed yourself as single. As well as on the last 3 years of tax returns. Which means you've lied to us as well as to the IRS."

It was as though the air had been knocked out of her lungs. She hadn't even realized that consequence. "I didn't know. Mr. Wayne kept it a secret from me."

Isabel smirked, clearly enjoying watching Felicity's world crumble around her.

"This is a delicate matter." Moira chimed in. "It seems strange that you would keep a detail like this hidden, but then Wayne Enterprises is Queen Consolidated's competition."

"And it would present a conflict of interest if you were sleeping with its CEO." Isabel agreed, her tone full of regret. "But for you to be married to him without informing anyone...now that's significantly worse."

Felicity stepped back. "I-"

"Add to that the fact that you're this company's CEO's Executive Assistant-" Moira let out a sigh of regret. "I'm afraid this is very serious."

"I didn't ask for that job." Felicity was furious.

"If anything that proves your guilt." Moira said. "Being too excited about a position that put you closer to your goal would raise suspicion."

Isabel nodded, a triumphant smile on her face. "You are fired. I'm having security come up and escort you out of the building. In addition we've turned over our records to the IRS, so expect an investigation."

"And the company will be suing you." Moira was practically giddy. It was the most genuine emotion Felicity had ever seen her show. The elevator opened and a pair of security officers followed by Oliver and Digg came out. Oliver scanned the office and frowned, confused as to what was happening.

"What's going on?"

"Just firing a corporate spy." Isabel said. "She's Bruce Wayne's wife; she's probably been passing secrets to him for as long as she's been working here." She smirked. "Perhaps next time you should do more vetting on potential assistants than how good they look in a skirt."

Felicity glared at her before turning for Oliver. "I didn't know about being married and I swear I've never told him anything."

"How can we be sure?" Moira walked over to Oliver, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Oliver, I know this must be painful, but..." She looked over at Felicity. "If the board finds out about this, it could mean you losing the company. Can you really be sure that she's being truthful?"

Felicity watched as Oliver's face shut down. He had a bizarre relationship with trust and the fact of the matter was, his mother could play him like no one else. She'd shot him and he still didn't see her as anything more than Malcolm's helpless victim. He looked up at Felicity, there was doubt in his eyes. Felicity hung her head as Isabel instructed security to lead her out.

"No." It was Digg who spoke. He was looking at all of them in disgust.

"Mr. Diggle." Moira said, angry. "She's a danger to this company."

Digg shook his head. "I'll escort her out." He looked over at the two security guards as though daring them to contradict him. Felicity smiled at him, happy to know there was at least one person who was on her side and grateful that he said something. She paused in the doorway, looking back at them. Moira had her hand on Oliver's arm and was attempting to be comforting. Isabel wore a gloating expression and Oliver...he wasn't even looking at her.

She turned and walked to the elevator, Digg right behind her. She didn't know how she managed to keep it together, but she stepped in, Digg following her. The doors closed and it began to move.

"Digg, I-"

"I know." He gave her a small grimace. "The Felicity Smoak I know would never lie about being married and she sure as hell could never be a corporate spy." Felicity hugged him, letting out a sob that she didn't know she was holding. "She's a terrible liar. We'd have seen through her in an instant." He held her as she cried.

The elevator stopped and he led her out of the lobby, bringing her to her car. "Where do you want to go?"

Wiping her eyes, she looked around, unsure. "Big Belly Burger?" She asked. "Though I'm fired so maybe-"

"I'll pay." Digg frowned down at her car. "This is too small." He smirked, looking at the car he'd driven Oliver in. "I think Oliver owes you at least a ride in his car."

She shook her head. "You've done enough for me already, I don't want you to lose your job over this."

Digg laughed. "I don't work for QC, I work for Oliver and he won't fire me; not with what I know."

Felicity hugged him again. "You're a good friend John Diggle."

"This doesn't come for free." He said. "I want you to tell me everything, from the beginning."

* * *

2 hours later, after milkshakes and burgers, Digg leaned back in his seat, frowning. She'd told him everything; her one night stand 3 years ago, what she'd found about Thea's parentage, Moira's threats and the fact that apparently Bruce was her husband. The only thing she hadn't told him was Bruce's secret identity. "How screwed am I?" She asked.

Digg sighed. "I'm not going to lie, it's pretty bad." He frowned. "Why did you go to Moira about Thea. Why not go straight to Oliver."

Felicity sighed. "I was worried he wasn't going to believe me and..."

Digg shook his head. "You wanted to give Moira a chance to tell him for herself." He muttered. "You are too kind for your own good."

Felicity looked down at the empty plate in front of her and sniffed. "It's not fair." She said. "I didn't ask for any of this. All I tried to do was the right thing and now..." She covered her mouth. "I'm out of a job, Oliver thinks I'm some kind of lying spy, Moira and Isabel get to tell the whole world I'm a golddigging liar who didn't have enough with Bruce Wayne and the government is going to come after me for lying on my tax returns." She took a second to steady herself. "And all of this because 3 years ago I made one stupid drunken mistake."

"You were drunk?" Digg's eyebrows rose.

"Sort of, yeah." Felicity said. "I mean, I knew what I was doing for the sex part. I wanted that, but the wedding." She let out a humorless laugh. "These two people wanted to get married and needed witnesses. I thought I was signing the official witness document."

"The official witness document?" Digg repeated and there was a slight twinkle in his eyes. "Felicity, that's not something that exists."

"Don't laugh." Felicity snapped. "I..." She put her face in her hands. "I'm so screwed. How the hell am I going to fix this?"

Digg frowned and seemed to be thinking. "Well there is someone who can help you." He said slowly. His tone sounded uncertain, but she was desperate. She didn't care who it was.

"Who?" She asked. Digg hesitated before relenting and answering:

"The man who put you in this position in the first place."

Felicity glared and stood. "Thanks for lunch, but I need to go."

"Felicity." Digg blocked her path. "Just listen."

"He lied to me for 3 years and because of him I'm-" She couldn't even begin to fathom how to finish that sentence.

"Then let him fix it." Digg said. "You're not as screwed as you think."

"Really?" Felicity snapped. "How do you figure? How could this possibly be worse?"

"Moira and Isabel haven't released anything to the press." He motioned for her to take a seat. "Why do you think that is?"

Felicity frowned, sitting and contemplating his words; he was right. There had been nothing about her in any newspaper, online blog, or tv station. Normally news like this would have gained national attention, and yet... "They have something to hide." She relaxed, a small flicker of hope warming her. "Digg you're a genius."

"Exactly." Digg said. "Oliver may have acted like an idiot, but after I talk to him, he'll see reason. He won't let them hurt you. Especially after you tell him she threatened you and that she lied about Merlyn being Thea's father." He frowned. "As for Isabel...I say you get Wayne to help you handle her."

Felicity sighed. "I don't want his help." Digg raised an eyebrow and she relented. "But I guess I don't have a choice." She glared. One thing was for sure. Wayne would get an earful. He'd wanted to talk? He was going to get his chance.


	11. Chapter 11

Bruce was conducting a search when the phone in his hotel suite rang. He picked it up. "Yes?" He growled.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Mr. Wayne, but you asked to be informed should a Felicity Smoak arrive?" The man at the front desk said. Bruce sat up. He hadn't expected to see her so soon. She'd been furious and he thought she would need more time to figure out how she felt. A hasty decision wouldn't be good...at least not for him.

He realized that he hadn't responded to the desk clerk. "Send her up." He said, hanging up. He hoped she wouldn't push him away. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. He opened it and there she was. Her eyes were wide and she seemed nervous, but her expression hardened. "Felicity." He said. "Come in." He stepped aside. She walked in.

"I'm here because I need your help." She said, full of determination.

"Oh?" He asked.

"I was fired today." She said. Bruce felt a rush of guilt; this was his fault. "Moira and Isabel Rochev believe I'm a corporate spy and are suing. They've also alerted the IRS to the fact that I've falsely filed as single for the last 3 years which means they're going to investigate me." She paused. Bruce should have realized that this was a possible outcome. He stepped towards her.

"Felicity."

She held up a hand, moving away from him. "This is because of you. I don't have a job. My friend thinks I'm a liar and the government might be after me and I have no means of hiring a lawyer or..." She paused. "So, I'm here because...I literally have nowhere else to turn."

This wasn't what he had wanted. Of course he'd wanted her to leave QC, but of her own accord. He'd wanted her to choose him over Oliver. To choose to work with Batman over the Arrow. He hadn't wanted the decision to be forced on her.

"I can talk to Moira." He said. "She's not without reason. She went after you because of some family history associated with that necklace."

Felicity's eyes flickered away from him; she was hiding something.

"Of course, I could be mistaken." He said slowly. "Felicity, if I'm going to help you, you need to tell me everything."

She sighed, moving further into the room rubbing her forehead. "I found out something...something, that could cause a lot of trouble for Moira and...I guess she wanted me out of the way...and away from Oliver." She looked at Bruce. "I wanted her to tell him, but she threatened me instead. I was planning on telling him, but..." she shook her head,unwilling to tell him more.

"What was it?" He prompted.

She looked out the window, remaining silent; her shoulders tense.

"Felicity."

"It's not my secret to tell." She frowned. "At least I shouldn't tell you."

Bruce wanted to press, but knew it wouldn't get him anywhere. In addition, he wanted Felicity to trust him. Forcing her to tell him was an overreach. Whatever Moira was hiding, he could find on his own. "You're probably right." He said. "And if I know when I go talk to Moira it'll strengthen the idea that you've been passing information to me."

She huffed, but nodded, fidgeting slightly.

"Don't worry about the IRS." He said, moved so he was standing about a foot behind her. "I'll handle them." His voice grew lower and she shivered slightly. "You can't be held responsible for circumstances you weren't aware of."

"Thank you." She murmured, not looking at him. He hesitated, before reaching for her. "Don't." She pulled away, turning to look at her. "Just because you're helping me doesn't mean I've changed my mind. I want out."

"You haven't even given me a chance." Bruce said. She looked at him in disbelief.

"Why should I?" She said. There was hurt in her eyes as she looked up at him. "You had 3 years and you didn't think I was worth telling."

He'd hurt her more than he'd initially realized. It had never been his intention, he'd...he'd been trying to protect his identity as Batman and...eventually he'd been trying to protect her. It hadn't been because he hadn't thought her worthy; quite the opposite.

"That's not true." He said. "There are things in my life that are complicated-"

"Let me guess." She interrupted. "It has to do with you being Batman. Because of the life you lead, you need to distance yourself because it would be too dangerous to truly care about someone." She shook her head. "Why go through with it, then? Why stay married to me and when were you planning on telling me?"

Bruce was sure this was the first of many long explanations, but the fact that she was asking these questions gave him hope. He could might be able to make her hate him less if he was honest with her...or not. He motioned for her to take a seat. "I was in Vegas to stop a group of bank robbers. My time in the casino was meant to establish my cover..." He waited until she sat down before continuing. "It wasn't my intention to marry you...I didn't even want to go to the chapel, but...I guess the minister got confused and thought we were getting married. You weren't...you didn't say no and I..." He let out a laugh. There was no way to explain and not sound like a monster. "Talking to you was liberating. You had no idea who I was. You weren't after my name or money and...I got swept up in the moment."

Felicity put her hand to her throat where she was still wearing the necklace. "Then why give me this?" She murmured. He glanced down at it.

"I'm not exactly sure." He admitted. "But I don't regret it." It was true. As terrible as the results of his decisions were, that necklace had been instrumental in bringing him to her. Even in light of recent revelations...which reminded him. There were some questions he needed answers to. "Felicity." He hesitated. "Why do you work for the Arrow?"

She turned away from him and he knew that he'd have to tread carefully if he wanted to maintain any of the goodwill he might have garnered. "I don't think we've gotten to that point yet." She mumbled.

"He's a killer." Bruce growled. "Forgive me if I don't feel comfortable with the idea of someone knowing my identity being a murderer."

Felicity shrank back. "I'm not a murderer." She hissed. "Oliver...I refused to help him kill people and I'm not going to defend what he did. I..." She bit her lip. "I tried to get him to stop but it took the earthquake for him to listen." She shook her head, standing. "I don't know if I'm comfortable discussing this...or being alone with you for too long."

There was a knock on the door. Bruce frowned; he hadn't been expecting company. Glancing back at Felicity, he walked over to the door and glanced through the peep hole, letting out a sigh of exasperation as he saw who was on the other side. "I should have known." He muttered, opening the door. Alfred walked in, carrying a suitcase.

"Master Bruce, I sincerely hope you haven't caused to much damage between you and-" He stopped, having caught sight of Felicity. Felicity was standing, looking at him with wide eyes. "Ms. Smoak." He said, giving her a warm smile. "I'm overjoyed to finally meet you. Alfred Pennyworth, butler of Wayne Manor." He dropped the suitcase and held out his hand. Felicity shook it.

"It's good to meet you, Mr. Pennyworth, even if you seem to know way more about me than I do about you. Which is kind of creepy. Not that I think you're creepy, you seem like a nice guy. I've just-"

"I suppose Master Bruce has made a complete fool of himself and you've rightfully yelled at him for hiding from you for 3 years." Alfred asked. Felicity gave him a surprised smile. Bruce shook his head.

"Alfred." He warned. Alfred's expression was amused as he continued.

"Master Bruce, your wife doesn't even have a refreshment, I believe I raised you better." He walked over to the bar and gave Felicity a questioning look.

"I was actually just about to leave-" Felicity began.

"Nonsense. The last thing I need is another dinner with only Master Bruce's forehead wrinkles to accompany us." He looked at Felicity. "Would you please rescue me from my misery?"

Felicity glanced nervously at Bruce, unsure. "I don't know if that's a good idea." She murmured, "under the circumstances." She smiled at Alfred. "Maybe some other time."

Alfred nodded. "I understand." The look he gave Bruce told him he wanted him to convince her to stay, but Bruce couldn't do it; pushing Felicity to spend time with him was too much too soon. Bruce shook his head, turning to Felicity.

"I'll walk you out." He murmured. Felicity nodded, following him out the door. Pausing in the doorway, he looked down at her. "I'll talk to Moira and...I'll keep the IRS off your back."

"Thank you, Mr. Wayne." She said.

"Call me Bruce."

The request hung in the air between them as they looked at each other. She swallowed, shifting slightly, unsure how to say goodbye. He was content to look at her. She was beautiful.

"The offer for dinner." He continued. "Whenever you want to...all you need to do is tell me."

"I'll think about it, Mr..." She paused, regrouping. "Bruce." Turning, she opened the door and left.

"Well that was painful." Alfred remarked. "What's this about the IRS?"

Bruce shut the door and turned to frown at his butler. "Before I explain, I want to make it clear that you are not allowed to say you warned me."


	12. Chapter 12

Bruce walked into the Queen Mansion, trying to look as at ease as possible. He loathed being near Moira, but she was going after Felicity and that he could not tolerate. Raisa showed him into the living room where Moira was looking over a pile of papers. "Bruce." She said, smiling as she looked up at him. "I didn't know you were coming."

"I think we both know that's not true." Bruce walked over to the couch in front of Moira and sat down. Moira assessed him before putting aside the papers.

"So." she gave him a cold smile. "Your little spy ran back to you, begging you for help." She sighed. "I must say I'm disappointed in you. I always thought you above these kind of tricks, but corporate espionage." She put a hand to her chest, her face drawn in concern.

"I am." Bruce replied. "Moira, Felicity didn't know she was marrying me. It was the result of a drunken night in Vegas, neither of us exchanged names."

"You gave her your mother's necklace." Moira interrupted. Bruce chuckled.

"A moment of weakness." He shrugged. "She's quite beautiful and charming." He sighed. "I got caught up in the moment." He smirked, pausing before adding. "I'm hardly the first billionaire to lose his head over a pretty girl."

Moira sniffed, clearly annoyed by his jab at both her husband and son. "Then why didn't you divorce her. Or bring her to Gotham."

"I wanted to know what type of person she was." He said. "And I wasn't disappointed. From all accounts she's intelligent, kind and honorable. She hasn't been passing me information."

Moira raised an eyebrow. "And you expect me to just let her get away with no punishment? Just give her her old job back?" She let out a small laugh.

Bruce laughed with her, leaning back in the couch. "No that would be ridiculous. I'm asking you not to sue her. She's innocent in all of this. I haven't had any contact with her since that night."

Moira still looked skeptical. Sighing, she shook her head. "I don't know. The problem is Isabel Rochev. Somehow she found out and she's been looking for a reason to get rid of Felicity ever since Oliver made her his executive assistant. She won't just drop this, especially if I'm the one asking."

Bruce pressed his lips together, trying to fight his irritation. How anyone could look at Felicity's skill set and think she should be an assistant was beyond him. He forced himself to remain calm. Moira knew him as an easy going, smart, and charming person. He didn't want to give her the impression that he might be anything else. "You're telling me you can't handle Isabel Rochev?" He asked innocently, knowing full well that Moira had probably brought the problem to her attention in the first place. "I find that hard to believe."

Moira sighed. "Well Bruce, I just...I don't know." She came to sit beside him, putting her hand on his arm, her face the epitome of concern and regret. "The truth is I've been a bit closer to Ms. Smoak...Mrs. Wayne, then you've been. She's quite an ambitious young woman. She charmed Oliver. Even now he can't see past her big doe eyes. I wouldn't be so quick to see her as an innocent victim."

Bruce felt sick. If Felicity was really the calculated gold digger Moira made her out to be, she'd have contacted him before and she definitely wouldn't have bothered with Oliver. Compared to his net worth, Queen's fortune was laughably small. Whatever Felicity had uncovered about Moira must be serious. "I think I can handle her if that's true."

"Would you take her back to Gotham?" There was a glimmer of hope in Moira's eyes.

"I'm not taking her anywhere she doesn't want to go." Bruce said. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure she likes me all that much. Apparently keeping our wedding a secret from her was a bad idea." He laughed. "I guess I know better for next time." Moira seemed to relax at that. "I just..." He sighed, putting his hand on hers. "I would hate to think I messed up her life over something that wasn't her fault. She doesn't deserve to suffer because of my stubbornness." He made sure to look directly in her eyes, sincerity practically dripping from his tone. "Moira, you and Robert were always so good to me. Even after..." He trailed off, looking away.

"Oh Bruce." She cooed. "I'll see what I can do. Isabel already sent the information to the IRS, but I'll see if I can't get her to back off the lawsuit." Bruce knew she wasn't being truthful; She wasn't going to simply drop this...she needed a push.

"Good," He gave her a look of relief. "Because I would hate to have to hire a lawyer. Although, if Felicity does get into legal trouble for this, I'm not sure how much of a case you'll have. Seeing as you be accusing Wayne Enterprises of fraud and spousal privilege would keep the two of us from testifying. And the company's legal department wouldn't be too happy about it, but I suppose they could handle it." He felt Moira stiffen and he knew he'd won. WE's legal department was legendary and almost unmatched. Even with Stellmoor's backing, QC had been hemorrhaging attorneys ever since the earthquake. In the court of public opinion QC had lost any credibility; a fight with WE was the last thing they wanted. WE had the resources to drag them through endless deliberations for months until the company went bankrupt without ever taking the case to trial.

"I'll see if I can call Isabel off." Moira mumbled. Bruce smiled.

"Thank you."

At that moment Thea walked in. "Bruce?" She looked surprised, but smiled. "I thought I saw you at the campaign announcement."

"Just passing through." He said, smiling. "You got tall."

"I'm not 6 anymore." Thea countered.

Moira was watching the two of them, a calculating look entering her eyes. "Is Mr. Harper going to be joining us for dinner?" She asked.

"No, I was just dropping in to change before going to the club." She smiled at Bruce. "Hey, you should come by. It's called Verdant. Ollie opened it last year, but left it alone after he ran off to Europe."

Bruce gave her a fake look of interest. He'd seen the club when he'd broken into Queen's lair. "I might drop by." He said.

"Have you heard from your brother?" Moira asked.

"No." Thea shrugged. "I think he's out with Sara."

"Ah." Moira sighed. "I suppose it's just me by myself for dinner." She wanted him to stay. Bruce weighed his options. A dinner alone with Moira Queen was definitely not high on his list of priorities. In fact it was somewhere beneath slow dancing with Joker.

"I left Alfred alone in the hotel."

"Alfred's here?" Moira said.

"Yes." Bruce sighed. "I can't go anywhere without him." His phone rang. "Excuse me." He stood and went off to the side. "Yes Alfred?"

"I thought you should know that there appears to be some serious activity involving a thief named Tockman..." The butler hesitated before adding. "And it appears Ms. Smoak is taking him on herself."

"What?" Bruce hissed, his grip on the phone tightening. Was she out of her mind?

"I was monitoring the signature of the vigilante's hacker, which I assume is Ms. Smoak. She's just done an on site hack in Starling National Bank."

"I'm on my way." Bruce growled. Turning back to Moira, he gave her his best smile, but it was wearing thin. "I'm sorry, Moria, but I need to call Lucius Fox and it could take a while. Something's come up in Gotham."

"Of course." Moira motioned to the door. "You're such a dedicated businessman." She followed him. "Just remember what I said about Ms. Smoak. I would hate for you to be hurt because of her. I've always considered you family, Bruce."

"I'll be sure to keep it in mind, Moira." He replied, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for talking to Isabel." He turned and left, trying hard not to run. Was Felicity out of her mind? What was she thinking taking on a criminal by herself. He doubted she could have received enough combat training in the last 3 years to make her an effective vigilante. Getting into his car, he called Alfred back. "I'm suiting up. Tell me everything you can about this Tockman."

* * *

Felicity glanced around the empty dark bank rethinking her decision to act the hero. It had seemed like a good plan; go in, trap the robbers using the bank's security grid, call the police and run, but planning and actually doing were two separate things. There were creepy shadows and the corners were practically black. It was also chilly. Pulling the leather jacket tighter around her, she took a breath. Sara wouldn't be freaking out right now and she wanted Oliver to trust her again. He'd barely spoken two words to her since she'd caught him with Sara in the lair and Batman had shown up. That, coupled with Tockman blowing up her servers had been the last straw. Showing him that she was on his side was definitely a good plan as well as proving that the team needed her.

She jumped. She was sure she'd seen something in the far corner of the room. Squinting into the darkness, she ignored the pounding of her heart. "Probably just a figment of my imagination and the product of too many horror movie marathons." She mumbled.

"Guess again." A deep voice growled and the shadow moved. Felicity screamed, getting ready to attack whatever came at her. Batman walked out of the shadows, glaring down at her. She relaxed.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Making sure you don't get yourself killed." He growled. "You're not trained to bring down Tockman and his crew."

"I can trap them using the building security." She countered. "These bars drop down, sealing them in and-"

"And what happens if one of them gets the drop on you?" Batman came so he was towering over her. She gulped as she looked up at him. "You didn't even realize that I've been standing there for about 3 minutes. For all you know, they could already be here."

"They're not, because if they were you wouldn't be here, insulting me." Felicity retorted. Batman sighed.

"At least tell me your team is coming to act as back up." He said. Felicity turned to her computer, earning herself a sigh as he correctly interpreted her silence. "I thought you were the brains of this operation." He muttered. "Okay, I'm handling the robbers, you stay down and out of sight."

"I-"

"No arguments." He growled, looking around.

"Should-"

He held up a hand, silencing her again. Motioning for her to get down, he crouched, looking up at the upper floor of the bank. "Arrow." He growled. "There's no point in hiding." Felicity's heart sank as Oliver walked into the main room, bow up, followed by Sara and Digg. This was a disaster.

"Felicity, what are you doing here with him?" He growled.

"I didn't know he'd be here." She said quickly.

"She most definitely didn't." Batman growled. "I came here to make sure she didn't get hurt, seeing as you can't coordinate with your own team. Someone has to act as back up."

"I didn't ask you to." Felicity snapped. Batman came closer, his mouth next to her ear.

"Til death do us part." He whispered. "And I'd prefer that was later rather than sooner." He pulled back, a smirk on his lips as Felicity let out a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding. She put her hands to her face, looking away from him trying to cool her burning skin and she met Oliver's eyes. He was fuming. He hadn't heard what Bruce had said, but he was probably even more convinced that she was keeping secrets from him.

"She's married." He snapped. "So I wouldn't bother flirting with her."

Batman leaned back. "Is that so?" He said, innocently.

Digg cleared his throat. "If the two of you are finished-"

The bank's lights flickered. Felicity gulped. "Tockman's in the system, which means he's going to use his virus to blow open the vault and they should be here-" A gun shot rang out. "Now." She said, ducking down behind the counter. The next few minutes were a mess of gunfire and and arrow noises. She knelt on the floor, trying to counterhack, Tockman. It was working and she was so close when Batman vaulted over the counter and picked her up.

"Time to go." He growled, shooting a grapple line and pulling her to the second floor. "You can escape out the roof access and take the fire escape.

"I'm not done." She said. "I just need two more seconds to hack this..."

He seemed to debate it, but nodded. "Do it, then promise me you'll leave."

"Yes." She breathed. Ducking behind a support wall, she completed the hack. She stood and glanced down the hall. Batman was fighting off armed goons. She noted that some of his weapons appeared to have tech incorporated in them, which gave her an idea. She had just finished uploading a program when she noiced Tockman coming up the stairs. He had a gun and was pointing it a Bruce.

"No." She shouted, jumping on Bruce. Her weight barely did anything but make him stumble, but she felt a tearing and heat in her shoulder. It burned and she slumped to the ground. Bruce threw a bat shaped piece of metal at Tockman. The second it hit him it exploded. Bruce looked at Tockman's inert form, to Felicity.

"Please tell me he's not dead." She mumbled, trying to ignore the pain in her shoulder.

Bruce picked her up. "Why the hell would you do that?" He asked, his voice full of concern.

"Shame to add another scar to your collection." She pressed her face against his chest as her vision grew spotty. "This way I have one." She frowned as she looked up a Batman's face. It was difficult to tell, as his cowl covered most of his face, but Felicity could swear that he looked terrified.

"Don't put yourself in the path of a bullet again." He whispered. "Not me. Not for anyone."

* * *

Oliver glared at the wall as Batman removed the bullet from Felicity's shoulder. She'd insisted on being brought back to the foundry, and he'd agreed on the condition that he was the one to stitch her up. Digg was the only person he'd allowed close to her and only to give her some oxycodin to help with the pain, telling her they were aspirin.

"My suit is bullet proof, Felicity." He was saying. He'd lessened the growl in his voice. Oliver might even call his tone concerned. "I don't need you or anyone jumping to save me."

"I know that nooooooow." Felicity was getting a little loopy. Oliver could hear the smile in her voice. "I guess...was scared that I'd looose you." She sounded worried. "It would be a shame. Cuz you're pretty." She paused, humming. "I'm still mad at you." Oliver clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening. Who the hell did Batman think he was? And why did Felicity seem to know him?

Batman chuckled. "You're mad at me?" He asked. He sounded almost tender. "There. All stitched up."

She let out another happy hum. "So, Dr. Batman, will I live?"

"Yes." He paused. "Here, it's cold."

There was a rustling noise. Oliver glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Batman covering her with his cape. Why the hell was he being so gentle with her? Everything he'd heard about the Batman made him out to be a strong, relentless crimefighter. He'd allegedly been operating in Gotham for about 6 years, though it was difficult to pin down a start date. Though he'd never killed anyone. Felicity had mentioned him once when pointing out that he didn't need to kill people to be an effective hero. Oliver frowned as she looked up at him. There was genuine feeling in her eyes. Could she have worked for him first? Nothing in Batman's reputation made him out to be the type of person who'd be so considerate with a random woman. Felicity was looking up at Batman, her eyes wide and a slack grin on her face as she tugged the cape around her.

"What the hell is going on here?" He asked Felicity jumped and looked at him, her expression guilty. "Why do the two of you seem to know each other?"

"Perhaps this can wait." Batman said, shifting so he was next to Felicity, preparing to block her from view. "She needs rest."

"No, I want answers now." Oliver growled.

"Oliver." Digg warned. "Felicity isn't in any condition to answer questions."

"Because she took a bullet for him." He glared at Batman. "I want to know why."

Felicity began sniffing, her eyes welling up with tears. "I'm sorry Oliver." She said. "I wanted to tell you. I tried to tell you about Thea."

"Thea?" Oliver looked at her in alarm. "What the hell does Thea have to do with this?"

"She's Malcolm's daughter." Felicity said. She looked heartbroken. "Your mom didn't want me to tell. She said you'd hate me and I wanted to tell you but then I found out I had a husband and got all mixed up."

"Felicity." Batman said gently, putting his hand on her arm. "You don't owe him any explanations. And this can wait."

"I don't like secrets." She snapped, her anger filled gaze fell on him. "You should know that." But she didn't pull away from him.

He relented, content to stand silently by with his hand on her arm.

"Thea isn't Malcolm's daughter." Oliver couldn't believe what Felicity was telling him. She nodded.

"She is." She mumbled. "I'm really sorry, Oliver. Your mom paid the obsi...osbet..obsteri"

"Obstetrician." Batman said.

"Right. She paid them off so they'd stay quiet."

"Are you sure?" Sara asked. Felicity nodded.

"I've got the records of the transactions in a file on my personal laptop." She said. "Your mom didn't want me to tell you. She said you'd hate me." She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Do you hate me?"

Oliver looked at her in shock, shaking his head, he let out a breath. "It's a lot to take in." He murmured, "but I don't hate you." Digg cleared his throat and threw him a look. Oliver gulped, remembering the dressing down Digg had given him for not standing up for her earlier. "And I'm sorry about earlier. I don't think you're a corporate spy."

Felicity smiled. "Thanks, even if I know you're only saying that to get away from Digg's guns of death." She looked over at Digg. "You've got amazing arms."

Batman coughed. She sighed.

"You too, but I'm mad at you."

"And I think you've had enough excitement for one night." He said, looking down at her. "I'll take you home."

She pouted. "Is that a good idea? Considering..." She glanced around her, her voice dropping to a whisper and Oliver didn't catch the rest of it.

"I promise to behave." He said.

She nodded. Batman picked her up. She looked over at Oliver.

"We'll talk more tomorrow." She said as Batman carried her out of the lair. Digg walked towards them, clearing his throat. "It's okay, Digg." She mumbled. "If I didn't trust him, I wouldn't have taken a bullet for him." She frowned at Batman. "Though when I come out of this, I will deny saying that...if I remember."

"I'll make sure you do." He said, amused. "You're welcome to follow, Sergeant Diggle. I'm simply driving her home."

Oliver watched as Digg frowned and looked at Felicity. She shrugged, giving him a small smile. "If you give me more aspirins, I'll love you forever."

"No more aspirins." Digg chuckled. "Batman. I don't know who you are, so I'll be making sure that she gets home."

Oliver seethed as he watched the three of them leave.

"Ollie." Sara said quietly.

"I need to know if what she said about Thea is true." He said. "And then..." He glared at the table. "I'm going to find out who Batman is."


	13. Chapter 13

Felicity groaned as she opened her eyes and was assaulted by a pounding headache.

"Here." A voice said from next to her. "Some water will help clear your head."

She took the glass being offered and swallowed. The coolness of the water rushed through her. She let out a happy groan as the throbbing in her head lessen, then whimpered as it was replaced by a burning itching in her shoulder. "Why me?" She groaned.

"Good question." The man next to her said. Felicity opened her eyes and squinted at the person next to her. Bruce Wayne was sitting comfortably next to her on the bed. Her eyes widened and she scrambled to pull her blanket over her. "I'd say." He continued, amused by her actions. "It's because you're stubborn to the point of insanity and that you've got a hero streak that hinders your judgement." He smiled down at her. "Though I think I'll gloat for a few minutes before I start berating you for your incredible lack of common sense."

Felicity covered her face. "Urgh, I should have let you get shot." How did he get in?

Bruce frowned. "Yes...though it doesn't sound as good coming from you as it did in my mind." He looked down at her. "Next time you want to show you don't hate me, find a way that doesn't end in me giving you stitches."

Felicity pressed her face into her pillow. "How are you in here?"

"After I dropped you off, I went back to my hotel, changed and came back." He hesitated and it looked like he wanted to touch her, but he shook his head, looking back at a tablet in his hand. "I didn't want to leave you alone." He glanced at her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been shot." She grabbed for her phone, panicking slightly. "What time-" She stopped, realizing the stupidity of her question. She didn't have a job to get to. There was no need to be worried about being late. Bruce must have realized what she was thinking, because he murmured.

"I talked to Moira and she won't sue you."

"I don't see Isabel backing down so easily." Felicity muttered.

"Well, I made it very clear that it wouldn't be in her best interest." Bruce looked down on his tablet. "As to the IRS, there haven't been any threats, as of yet. If they do happen, we'll handle them." He put it down. "We should talk...when you're up to it."

"You're being very confident with your use of 'we'." Felicity mumbled as she closed her eyes, her stomach rumbling. "I'm hungry." The door opened and Alfred walked in.

"I believe that is my cue." He was carrying a tray. Felicity sniffed the air.

"Pancakes?" She asked. "I didn't know I had the ingredients for pancakes...or anything really...Come to think of it, I don't even think I have a tray."

"You did not." Alfred nodded. "So thankfully, I corrected your oversight." He set the tray at the foot of the bed. "Tea?"

"I'm usually a coffee person." She said. "But I'll make an exception." She took the cup he offered her, grateful for Alfred's kindness. Not wanting to talk to Bruce, she decided to focus on Alfred instead. "How long have you been working for Mr. Wayne?"

"Since before he was born." Alfred said, clearly amused by the formal way she talked about Bruce. "I have quite a few stories about your husband, and I'll be all too happy to share."

"Alfred." Bruce growled as Felicity blanched at the word 'husband'. She took a sip of her cup to distract herself.

"Consider this your punishment for not telling her sooner." Alfred said. Felicity choked on her tea, coughing. Bruce patted her back. As she caught her breath, he slowed his movements to rubbing small circles. Felicity hummed, leaning back into his touch. His hands were large and warm and oh so comforting. It also didn't hurt that she'd already experienced what they were capable of...She came to her senses, moving away from him, she glared. He held his hands up. Alfred was looking at them, a contented smile on his face. "I believe I will leave the two of you alone. Master Wayne, I'll be returning to the hotel." He smiled, moving the tray closer to her. "Mrs. Wayne, I entered my number into your phone, in addition there are several days of home cooked meals in your refrigerator. They're all labelled and awaiting your microwaving convenience."

Felicity blinked, unsure what to say. "Thank you." She whispered. "I-"

Alfred gave her a kind smile. "The only thanks I need, is you healing yourself, my dear."

Felicity swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. She wasn't sure what she'd done to warrant such kindness from Alfred, but she was touched.

"You're never so nice to me when I get shot." Bruce said in amusement.

Well, I'm hoping this is a one time deal." Alfred frowned. "This tends to lose its charm after the 23rd time around."

He left. Felicity grabbed at the plate of pancakes. taking a bite, she let out a happy moan. Bruce raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't expecting to hear that noise from you again any time soon." Felicity frowned as she chewed.

"I have a knife." She warned, waving it in his direction. Bruce shook his head.

"Yes, I'm sure I'm completely helpless against a tiny injured woman with a dull piece of cutlery." He deadpanned. "This is my end."

Felicity leaned back, looking at him. "Don't make me laugh, I'm trying not to like you."

"That's not an incentive for me to stop." He said.

Felicity frowned. "What's your end goal here?"

"Stealing one of your pancakes." He reached for the plate but Felicity smacked his hand away.

"I'm being serious." She frowned.

"So am I." He said. "Alfred's cooking is amazing. It's why I keep him around despite the fact that he's insubordinate."

Felicity shifted and winced as pain lanced through her shoulder. Bruce's amused expression faltered. "Let me see." He demanded. Felicity raised an eyebrow at the tone. He sighed and gritted his teeth. "Please?"

She put the tray aside and slowly turned so her back was to him. Lifting her t shirt, she frowned. When had she changed?

"You changed yourself." He mumbled, removing the gauze and inspecting the wound. "In that you walked in, took off your clothes and collapsed. I found you pajamas and put them on."

"Oh god." Felicity groaned, her face burning in embarrassment.

"Nothing I haven't seen before." Bruce smirked as Felicity glared at him over her shoulder. He ran his fingers around her stitches. "It looks okay, but you'll have to disinfect and change the gauze twice a day." He let out a shaky breath. "You'll be okay." He sounded relieved. He put a fresh piece of gauze on her back. Felicity pulled her shirt back down.

"Thanks for sewing me up." She said, turning to look at him. He wasn't looking at her, a distant expression on his face. She frowned. "Bruce?" He looked at her, giving a small smile.

"I'd say anytime, but I really hope that I won't have to again." He got up, moving away from her, rubbing his forehead. "Do you go out into the field often?"

"Sometimes." She admitted.

"And I'm supposing you don't have any formal training." He frowned, speaking more to himself rather than her. "Well that stops now. If you're going to be in the field, I can't be worried about you getting yourself hurt again."

Felicity felt her jaw drop. "Excuse me?"

"Another event like last night would be unacceptable and since I'm guessing you're too stubborn to listen to reason, I'll have to train you myself." He didn't seem happy about it.

Felicity got up and glared at him. "Listen to reason?" She hissed. "If training me is such a chore, then don't bother. I've done fine without you."

"Oh really?" Bruce shot back.

"Yes." She walked over stopping about a foot away from him. Putting her hands on her hips she glared up at him. "I've managed to go 3 whole years without getting myself killed, without you. In fact, the first time I got shot was last night and it was because I was protecting you." She poked him in the chest.

Bruce scoffed. "The Dodger? The Dollmaker? The Count? And those are just the names I've been able to uncover in the last few hours. Queen let you go out into the field without any formal training."

"I had backup."

"That's not enough." Bruce growled.

"Digg's been giving me defense training."

"Oh, so once a week, he has you throw a punch and that's sufficient?" Bruce shook his head.

"What do you care?" Felicity asked, he didn't have the right to show up after 3 years and try to police how she lived her life.

"The reason I didn't bring you to Gotham was because I wanted you to be safe." His eyes flashed. "It was a mistake, I should have let you know from the beginning and I-"

"Are you saying that because you believe ot, or because you're angry that I began working with Oliver?" Felicity snapped. Bruce looked away, his fists clenched.

"It might be a bit of both." He shut his eyes. "But I do regret not telling you earlier." He swallowed. "Seeing you fall after that gunshot..." His eyes closed. "It's not easy for me to admit that I'm wrong, but that...that showed me my terrible mistake."

Because of his parents. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She' d run a background check on Bruce, wanting to get a feel for the type of man he was. Of course he'd be upset that she'd thrown herself in the path of a bullet for him.

"I'm..." She didn't know what to say.

"I know you must be furious with me, and you have every right to be so how about I make a deal with you; I'm staying in Starling until we deal with Deathstroke. At the end of that time, if you want it, I'll have divorce papers drawn up. I'll also have a job for you at Wayne Enterprises. I couldn't get your old job back from Moira, but to be honest, is giving Oliver Queen coffee really an effective use of your skills?"

Felicity frowned. "I can't just leave here." She said. "My team..." She trailed off, the words 'needs me' stuck in her throat. Did they? Oliver was probably furious and now that Sara was there and with the destruction of the lair computers...did they?

Bruce pressed his lips together. There was something that was bothering her. "Do you want to stay married to me?" She asked. He nodded. "Why?"

"I'm not sure." He admitted. Felicity moved away from him.

"And that's what scares me." She said. "You decided you didn't want to deal with me, so you kept me in the dark for 3 years. What if, tomorrow, you decide that this isn't something that interests you and you leave?"

Bruce exhaled and shook his head. "I guess all we can do is get to know each other." His expression changed to one of amusement. "We're already part of the way there."

"Oh?" Felicity frowned.

"You trust me." He smirked. Felicity's face burned as the memory of her declaration in the Arrow Cave came back to her.

"I don't think you can hold a declaration made under the influence of painkillers against me." She frowned. "Although apparently a decision made 3 years ago under the influence of champagne can screw my entire career."

"Ah yes." Bruce said testily. "Lord knows there's a lot of upward mobility in being Oliver Queen's office decoration."

"That's not what I do." Felicity snapped.

"It doesn't matter what you actually do." Bruce retorted. "It's what people believe that determines your future. Queen screwed you when he made you his secretary. Face it, Felicity; the only company that's going to touch you now is Wayne Enterprises and that's because I'm its CEO."

"Because you got me fired."

Bruce stepped back, an arrogant look on his face and his pose relaxed. He clearly thought he was right. She grit her teeth, resisting the urge to slap him. "So tell me, what was Oliver's plan for you being his EA? Was there an end date to the position? If I hadn't shown up, what would have been your next job?"

Felicity opened her mouth, but no sound came out. He was right. Glaring at him, she shook her head. "You know, you'd scored some points for Alfred being awesome, but those are gone now." She turned, shuffling back to the bed.

"So we're in agreement."

Felicity gaped at him. Was he part of the same conversation? "When the hell did we agree on anything?"

"That at the end of dealing with Deathstroke, you get to choose how we proceed."

"Might as well print out the divorce papers now." Felicity snapped. "Because I get the feeling you're going to need them. And since you broke in, I assume you'll have no problem showing yourself out."

Bruce crossed his arms. "What are you planning on doing today?"

"I'm going to talk to Oliver." She said, opening her closet.

"Not right now, you're not." Bruce moved, putting a hand to the closet door and shutting it.

"Excuse me?"

"He's at work, amazingly, and going to QC really isn't in your best interest." Bruce growled. "You can go to the Arrow base later..." His phone rang. Looking down at the screen, he cursed. "It's Moira." He muttered. Schooling his expression he answered. "Hello?" His voice was light and pleasant. No one could have guessed that 3 seconds earlier he'd been acting like an over protective jackass. Felicity stepped forward, curious as to what Moira was saying. Bruce raised an eyebrow, but put the phone on speaker, a finger on his lips indicating she should be quiet. She nodded.

"Bruce, I did some checking into your request and I think I might be able to do something for you." Moira's voice sounded...nice. It was eerie and Felicity shivered in response. "I was wondering, are you busy tonight? It would be so nice to catch up and after bargaining with Isabel Rochev..." She sighed. "I just hope all my work wasn't for nothing."

Felicity felt sick as she realized that Moira was playing Bruce. Bruce gave her a reassuring smirk. "I was actually planning on having dinner with my wife." He paused. "But I suppose I can bring her along-"

Felicity made slicing motions across her neck. "no." She mouthed.

Moira sighed. "If that's the only way to see you, then I suppose Ms. Smoak is welcome to join." Felicity felt her heart sink. If Moira wanted her there...she didn't even want to contemplate why that might be.

"Excellent." Bruce said, "what time should we be there?"

"8" Moira said.

"We'll be there." He hung up. Felicity smacked his arm.

"No we will not." She hissed.

"Keep your friends close, but-"

"Don't give me that." She hissed. "You didn't even think to consult me."

"I didn't think she'd go for it." He said, clearly annoyed. "I miscalculated."

"Oh." Felicity scoffed. "You miscalculated. It's almost as though people weren't perfect equations that you could solve." She turned. "I'm going to take a shower. When I come back out, you better be gone."

Bruce sighed. "Felicity."

"GONE."

He sighed. "Fine. Just...make sure you're careful with your stitches." He turned. "I'm picking you up at 7:30. Wear something nice." He turned around. Felicity couldn't believe his audacity.

"I'll be wearing sweatpants and eating pizza on the couch." She shouted after his retreating back.


	14. Chapter 14

Oliver glared at the screen. He'd been at it for a day, but somehow, he was no closer to figuring out who was under Batman's mask.

"Ollie?" Sara came in. He glanced up at her, shaking his head.

"She was telling the truth." He murmured. "About Thea. I did some checking and..." He rubbed his eyes. "I didn't want to believe it, but Felicity was right." He gave Sara a grimace. "Thea's Malcolm's daughter and my mom tried to cover it up." He'd thought she was done with lying. She'd promised during the trial that she was going to be honest with them. That she wouldn't let her fear of Malcolm determine her actions any more. Oliver didn't know what to think. One thing was sure; Thea couldn't know.

"I'm sorry." Sara looked over his shoulder. "Any luck figuring out who Batman is?"

He shook his head. "All I've got is that he's been operating for 6 years and that he works alone." He'd also done some checking on Felicity. She'd never been to Gotham, but that didn't mean she hadn't had contact with Batman. She didn't need to be onsite to work cyber security. Sara opened her mouth, hesitating. She wanted to say something.

"What is it?" He said.

"I think Felicity knows something." Sara said.

He gripped the armrest of the chair. "I know." He murmured.

"Oliver, how do you know she hasn't been telling Batman about you?" Sara said. "He knew exactly who you were and where your lair was..." She paused, her face drawn. "I don't like this, she's always been nice to me, but..."

"Sara, I'll talk to her when she comes here." Oliver snapped.

Sara nodded stiffly. "There's one more thing." She sighed. "I think Batman might be a member of the league."

Oliver turned, looking at her. How could she know that? "What makes you say that?"

Sara clenched her hands, looking around her before explaining. "Something people in the league said when I was training. I wasn't the first outsider to be trained with them."

"Merlyn." Oliver wondered why she was bringing him up now. Sara shook her head.

"There was one more. Ra's and the others were furious because he turned his back on their teachings. Apparently he never went that extra step and took a life. According to Nyssa, he left the league by fighting his way through an entire hall of assassins. He managed to disarm and incapacitate each one...somehow without killing any of them." There was a note of admiration in Sara's tone. Admiration and jealousy. "He didn't turn into a monster."

"What does this have to do with Batman?" Oliver asked.

"Two things." Sara said. "Firstly, I saw the way he moved when he fought Tockman's henchmen. And secondly the name Nyssa called the mystery trainee when she told me about him. His league name was Alwatawat. It means the bat."

Oliver frowned and was about to answer when his phone buzzed. There was a text from Thea. "Thea says I need to come to the mansion...because my mom's throwing a dinner for Bruce Wayne." He grit his teeth, getting up. He didn't want to be near his mother and he certainly didn't want to be near Bruce Wayne but he needed to pretend, for Thea at least, that everything was okay.

"You can handle the lair, right?" He asked Sara. She nodded.

"I think I'll have Roy do some target practice."

It was a good idea. Roy had done enough water slapping. "If Felicity comes...text me and have her wait for me, but don't question her."

Sara didn't seem to like the idea, but she relented, moving aside. "Have fun at your dinner."


	15. Chapter 15

Felicity glared at Bruce's back as she followed him up the stairs to the Queen Mansion door. How the hell he had convinced her this would be a good idea, she would never know. Bruce turned and looked at her. Seeing the anger on her face he gave her a small grimace.

"This way we can make sure Moira knows that if she comes after you, she's coming after me." He reached out his hand. "I'll make it up to you later."

Felicity glared at him. "Oh you'd better." She took his hand as the door opened. Bruce pulled her against his side and they both smiled as Raisa stood in the doorway. Bruce's entire posture had changed. Gone was serious, broody, calculated Bruce. On the outside at least, he appeared carefree, at ease, his arm around her light and warm. He leaned in a bit closer, his expression a happy smile. Felicity tried to match his expression.

"Mr. Wayne." Raisa said, ushering them in. "Ms. Smoak, so good to see you."

"Hopefully you'll be calling her Mrs. Wayne pretty soon." Bruce said, looking down at Felicity with a carefree smile that stopped her heart. She matched his expression.

"Oh, I wouldn't get ahead of myself." She said, poking him in the chest.

"Bruce." Moira called out from a side room. "Is that you? Come in, I have someone I want you to meet."

Felicity swallowed, feeling slightly light headed. She hadn't seen Moira since she'd been fired and she really wasn't looking forward to it. Bruce leaned closer. "Don't worry. She won't try anything with me there." Somehow she knew it was true, just as she also knew that if Moira did try to undermine her, Bruce wouldn't let it stand. Bruce led her into the living room. Thea was sitting on the far side of the room. Felicity found herself scanning her face, looking for signs of Malcolm in her features. She met Moira's eyes and shuddered at the look of cold hatred that was there. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before.

Bruce must have seen it too because she felt his hand on her arm squeeze. Moira looked away, turning her attention to the man on the couch next to her. Felicity hadn't noticed him before. He was a large muscular man with black hair, streaked with gray. He was wearing a suit and an eye patch. "This is Bruce Wayne, an old family friend." Moira said, motioning to Bruce. "Bruce, I'd like you to meet Slade Wilson. Mr. Wilson is contributing to my campaign."

Slade Wilson stood and walked over to them. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne." He had a low growling voice with an Australian accent. Bruce held his hand out for him to shake. For all those assembled it seemed like just a regular meeting, but Felicity knew something was wrong. The second Wilson had spoken, Bruce had pulled her closer against him, his arm around her like a bar of steel. "And who?" Wilson asked, turning his attention to Felicity. "Is this?"

"Felicity Smoak." She said.

"My wife." Bruce added quickly, his voice a low growl as Wilson's eye swept over her. "You'll have to forgive us for being late, Moira. We got carried away and lost track of time." He grinned down at Felicity. "After all, we do have three years to make up for."

"I wonder whose fault that is." Felicity mumbled, Bruce's hand squeezed in warning.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Smoak." Wilson took Felicity's hand and brushed his lips against her fingers. Felicity forced a smile. There was something off about him that made her skin crawl and it took all she had not to wrench her hand out of his grasp. If Bruce was concerned, she should be as well.

"You too, Mr. Wilson." She said, pulling her hand to her side, trying hard not to wipe her hand on her skirt.

"Well." Moira smiled. "I asked my son, Oliver, to join us, but it's doubtful he'll join us. He's always quite busy."

Felicity relaxed slightly. It would make the meal slightly less horrible if Oliver wasn't there. Moira and Thea took them on a tour of the house, prattling on about this painting and that vase. Felicity tuned them out, leaning closer to Bruce. While everyone's attention was on a pretty awful piece of American painting (that looked like it should be hanging in a motel, but from Wilson's oo's and aaa's and Moira's smug look, probably cost a million dollars) she decided to get some answers about the stranger.

"What's wrong?" She whispered. Bruce's eyes flickered to Slade and he leaned closer to her, fake smile in place.

"Not here." He murmured. She was about to say more when he shook his head, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Later." He whispered. Moira cleared her throat.

They made their way towards the dining room. It was halfway over. Dinner couldn't take more than an hour, which meant they were almost home free. She wouldn't admit it, but having Bruce with her made her more at ease. He put his hand on her back. "We'll be out of here soon." He murmured.

"I'm so going to hurt you for this." She whispered back, allowing herself to give him a genuine smile to take the bite out of her words. But of course, the second she relaxed was the second everything went to hell.

"Oliver." Moira said, delighted. "You made it!"

Felicity looked up just in time to see Oliver glaring at her and Bruce with their heads together. She shut her eyes, feeling limp. Bruce looked at him, smugly. Oliver turned away from them, and his eyes fell on Slade Wilson...and he took a step back, his face paling slightly. Then his eyes narrowed, furious. Whoever this man was, Oliver knew him...and he was dangerous.

Moira was making the introductions, chatting away a mile a minute, seemingly unaware that her son was in distress, or ignoring it for the sake of keeping up appearances. Thea was looking at Oliver in amusement.

Felicity looked up at Bruce. "I really want to leave now." She said.

"Me too." He admitted. "Maybe if you pretend to be sick."

"You pretend to be sick." Felicity hissed back. "Moira already hates me enough, but she'll believe it coming from you."

Bruce was about to respond when Oliver blocked their entrance in the dining room. "I need you," He growled at Bruce. "To get her out of here now."

"Oliver." Felicity began.

"Don't argue, just trust me." He growled.

"Like you trust me?" Felicity said.

Oliver inhaled slowly, his hands clenching. "Fe-li-ci-ty." He said slowly. "We can deal with this later."

"How about-" Bruce said. "You let her decide what she does?"

"That's rich coming from you." Felicity muttered. Bruce looked down at her in surprise. "What?" She asked. "Just because he thinks I'm a liar, doesn't mean I've forgiven you for lying to me for 3 years."

The corner of Oliver's mouth twitched upwards.

"Is everything alright here?"

The 3 of them turned to see Moira looking at them, her expression a mask of curiosity that barely concealed her obvious enjoyment of their argument. She was loving the fact that Bruce's presence made Oliver trust Felicity less. She felt sick.

Bruce and Oliver glared at each other and seemed to arrive at a truce because they stepped away from each other.

"I think I'll have to pass on dinner, Moira." Bruce said, his face the epitome of regret. "I have to fly back to Gotham rather early tomorrow for a meeting and I think I need to take time to say a proper goodbye to my wife." He smirked down at Felicity as she felt her face burn. She was going to kill him. "She's going to join me soon, but I don't know how I can stand to be without her for even a small amount of time." He planted a kiss on her forehead. Felicity gave the room a nervous smile.

"Bruce I-" Moira began.

"Love is quite precious, isn't it, Mr. Wayne?" Slade Wilson said quietly. "I once lost someone I loved. You're never truly the same." Oliver shifted uncomfortably.

Bruce's expression remained cheerful, but his eyes darkened. "No." He agreed. "You aren't." Saying their goodbyes, Bruce steered Felicity out of the mansion."Don't look back, keep moving." He murmured as they walked o the car.

"Don't need to tell me twice." She whispered back. Getting into the car she waited until they were driving away before asking."What the hell was that back there."

"I recognized his voice." Bruce said. "It's hard to forget the voice of someone who beat you nearly to death. Slade Wilson is Deathstroke...and Oliver Queen knows him."


	16. Chapter 16

"We need to tell Oliver." Felicity said for the 3rd time since Bruce had driven them to his hotel room. She was pacing back and forth while Bruce sat comfortably in an armchair typing on a laptop.

"Oliver already knows." Bruce replied. "The way he looked at Slade...they know each other." He glared at the screen. "I just hit another wall..." He glanced over at her. "I could use an extra pair of hands." Felicity sighed and sat across from him.

"I'll need a tablet or a laptop or a phone." She said. Bruce motioned to his suit case.

"There's a special bat-tablet in there." He said.

"Bat-tablet." Felicity repeated, shaking her head. "Well that's one I haven't heard before." She opened the suitcase and pulled out the tablet. Sitting on the bed she turned it on. "Oh..." She ran her fingers over it. "This...this is a beautiful piece of machinery."

"I built it myself." Bruce smirked as she looked over at him. "I'm quite multi-talented and the best thing about being the CEO of a major tech company is you get to save all the fun toys for yourself." He looked back at his laptop. "Anything you can find on Slade Wilson would be helpful. Though most of the files are either hidden or redacted-"

"He's Australian military." Felicity said, beginning her search Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"Special Forces to be exact." He clarified.

Felicity glanced up at him. He had leaned back in his chair with that damn eyebrow raised so high it was probably at a different altitude above sea level. He was challenging her. So that's how he wanted to play it? Well if it was a competition he wanted, he'd get one.

"He was reported MIA 5 years ago." She said. Your move, Wayne, she smirked as he shifted slightly.

"After going on a secret mission in the North China Sea." Bruce countered.

"I've got his psychological profile." Felicity hacked it open with slight raised flourish of her fingers. "It says here he has an extreme code of honor that sometimes goes beyond the bounds of military regulations."

"He's also got a few reprimands on his record." Bruce said. "He's connected with a partner named-"

"Winters." Felicity cut him off, amused by the look of shock that passed over Bruce's face as the other eyebrow went up. "You're not the only one with talented fingers, Mr. Wayne." She shut her eyes as Bruce let out a surprised laugh. "I didn't mean..." She shook her head focusing on the screen in front of her. Continue reading, she told herself, don't fall into innuendo. "Winters was declared rogue. It was Wilson's mission to bring him in by any means necessary." She paused. North China Sea. That couldn't be a coincidence. "Lian Yu. They must have ended up on the island with Oliver some how..." She trailed off, something clicking in her memory. Jumping to her feet, she put aside the tablet and went to stand next to Bruce. "Show me the video again."

He looked up at her, unsure what she meant.

"The video of you fighting Wilson. Show it to me again."

"Eager to see me beaten up?" he muttered as pulled up the file and played it. After a few minutes Felicity reached over him and paused it. Bruce had just been thrown to the ground and was lying at Wilson's feet. Wilson's face had just turned to the camera and it had gotten the full image of his mask. It was half black, half orange. Felicity nodded.

"I've seen it before." She said, tapping the image on the screen. "On Lian Yu when we went to find Oliver there after the earthquake. That same mask was on a spike on the beach with an arrow through its eye..." She swallowed nervously. "And seeing as Wilson has an eyepatch..."

"It's safe to assume Queen has something to do with him wearing it." Bruce finished, looking up at her, his eyes blazing with pride. "You'd make a pretty decent detective, Mrs. Wayne."

She shook her head,deciding to let that particular moniker slide in order to have him in a better mood before she said: "We need to tell Oliver."

Bruce's face closed off, shutting off the video, not answering.

"If he knows something, it could be helpful for us when we..." She trailed off. Bruce was looking at her intently.

"When what we, Felicity?"

She shook her head. She'd been about to say 'when we face him' and she wasn't sure if we meant team arrow. When it was clear she wasn't going to say anything else, he looked back at the screen.

"I'm going to pretend to leave for Gotham tomorrow." He frowned. "It wouldn't do for Bruce Wayne to be in the same city as Batman. As it happens, I've been here longer than I planned." He looked at her. "Come with me? We'll be back by tomorrow evening."

Felicity shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"With Wilson running wild and his obvious less than positive history with Queen, I'd feel significantly better if you weren't alone in Starling. He's going to target people close to Queen."

"How do you know that?" Felicity asked. Bruce drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair.

"Why else would he have been at the Queen Mansion?" He asked.

He had a point, she thought glumly. "I can't just run away."

"I'm not asking you to..." He said. "At least not permanently. I'm asking you to be smart."

"And stay where you can keep your eye on me." She muttered. The corner of Bruce's mouth twitched upwards.

"That's just an added bonus." He said. "So?"

"I'll go...on one condition." She hesitated. Bruce was going to hate this, but it had to be done. "If we want Oliver to be honest we need to be honest too."

"You want me to tell him that I'm Batman." Bruce's voice was low, his face impassive.

"He doesn't trust me anymore."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Bruce muttered.

"Yes." Felicity grit her teeth. "Because if he doesn't trust me, he'll shut both of us out and while you might enjoy working alone, this threat is going to require teamwork."

Bruce looked ahead of him. Putting his elbow on the armrest of the chair, he leaned his chin against his hand, thinking. "You're right." He said, begrudgingly.

"So you'll tell him." Felicity couldn't believe it was that easy. As it turned out...it wasn't.

"I'll consider it." He said. Felicity rolled her eyes.

"Well then I'll consider, not going on you fake trip to Gotham." She frowned. "Actually, I definitely won't go."

"Why?"

"Think about it for a second; Bruce Wayne leaves with Felicity Smoak. Then Felicity Smoak returns... and Batman continues to operate in Starling. There's too many connecting dots. I should stay here..." She put her hand on his arm. "Don't worry, I'll make sure not to die while you're gone."

"It's not funny." Bruce stood. "I suppose you'll want Alfred to take you home." He kept his back to her. She knew it was the right thing to do, but she didn't want to be alone.

"I think I'll stay and do some research, if that's okay?"

Bruce turned, nodding. "Of course." He said, eager. She frowned.

"This isn't a booty call." She said, wagging a finger in his direction. "When I say research I mean research. It's not code for a repeat of three years ago."

"I know."

"Just so we're clear." Felicity said. "There will be no sex."

"Got it." Bruce shook his head in amusement. "I need to go pack, I'll be in the other room if you need me."


	17. Chapter 17

Felicity got to the lair first. Fiddling with her dress, she checked her phone. If Oliver had gone to work, he should be there in about an hour with Digg. Sara could walk in at any moment. She looked at her wrecked computer systems. She needed to order new ones. Her phone buzzed with a text from Bruce.

Landing, will be there soon.

She felt herself relax. It was strange, but the thought of seeing Oliver made her nervous and tied her stomach up in knots. Yet when she thought of seeing Bruce...no knots just...butterflies. Which was stupid because he'd lied and abandoned her for three years. He seemed to want to prove himself and a part of her was hopeful that he'd succeed. She frowned, squashing the feeling. It would take an extraordinary act of good faith on his part and a complete loss of sanity on hers for her to overlook the last 3 years.

Sara came in. She froze when she saw Felicity. Felicity smiled. "Hey."

Sara nodded. "I didn't think you'd be here." She paused, examining her. "Especially since your husband left for Gotham this morning."

"Most women would be worried that you paid so much attention to their husband's whereabouts." She remarked, looking back at the stack of hard drives. Sara's distrust made her nervous. Sara huffed, annoyed at the insinuation.

"Why didn't you leave with him?" It wasn't accusatory; her tone was curious. "You had a chance to get out of this life. Get out of danger. There's nothing keeping you here."

Felicity grimaced. "Starling is...the first place I ever called home." She looked at the ruined computer station, Sara's words stinging hard. "I just...I hoped it wouldn't be so easy for me to lose it."

"You saying there's nothing in Gotham for you?" Sara asked. "You have a husband and..." She paused, waiting for Felicity to turn back before saying "Batman."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Felicity asked, did Sara know? She needed to remain calm. If she panicked, she'd babble and then there was no telling what she'd say.

"What's your relationship with Batman?" Sara demanded. "You're keeping something from Oliver."

"And you aren't?" Felicity couldn't believe that someone who'd been working as an assassin for 5 years was attempting to claim the moral high ground. "I didn't know Batman until he came in here."

"So you're saying you have no idea who he is under his cowl?" Something must have shown on Felicity's face because Sara nodded, her expression grave. "That's what I thought."

"It's not my place to tell." Felicity said.

"Did you tell him who Oliver was?" Sara's voice dropped lower. Thankfully she was far away from the weapons, because the look in Sara's eyes was furious.

"NO." Felicity looked at her in horror. "I hadn't met Batman before he came into the Arrow cave."

"And yet you know who he is?" Sara took a step forward. "How?"

"I can't tell you." Felicity knew it was probably crazy to continue this fight, but she wasn't a liar and she wasn't going to let Sara treat her like one. She'd been on this team longer. It wasn't fair that Oliver could turn on her so easily. "Because just like you and he trust me not to tell people who you are, he trusts me to do the same."

"The look he gave you while he was stitching you up was more than just trust, Felicity." Sara glared. "You took a bullet for him. A person doesn't do that for a stranger."

"Maybe you don't." Felicity snapped. "But I saw someone in danger and I just reacted. It wasn't a conscious decision, it was a reflex." She frowned. "Which makes me sound like a crazy person with a death wish, but I would have done if it had been you in the line of fire as well. Even if you're currently accusing me of being a danger to this team."

The door opened, causing the two of them to spring apart and glare at the intruder. Digg came down the stairs and frowned.

"What did I miss?" He asked, coming down to stand between them. Sara moved over to the training area and Felicity focused her attentions on her computers. "Felicity?" Digg asked, leaning against the table. "What's-"

Oliver came into the lair. A silence fell as he took in Digg and Felicity on one side of the lair and Sara on the other.

"Isn't this awkward?" A voice said from the corner of the lair. Felicity's eyes widened. How long had he been there? And had she done anything embarrassing like scratching an itch or...why did she care so much. Batman stepped into the light. Sara shot Felicity an accusatory glare. "She didn't let me in." He said.

Oliver came down the rest of the steps, making his way towards the weapons case. "What do you want?" He growled.

"I'm here to help with Deathstroke." Batman replied. "Or should I say Slade Wilson; your old island co resident?"

Oliver's jaw tensed and a vein popped in his neck. Felicity turned her chair and sat down; this was promising to be a long brood off.

"How do you know that name?" Oliver growled.

"Because..." Batman hesitated before looking at Felicity. Her eyes widened, was he going to do it? "Because I was at the dinner yesterday." He stopped disguising his voice and pulled the cowl off. Felicity stood. She hadn't expected him to do it; she'd thought he'd plant his feet in the dirt and be immovable. "And I recognized his voice."

Oliver moved closer. "Bruce." He said softly. "You...you're Batman."

"Yes." Bruce's expression was smug.

Oliver turned away from him, his shoulders slumped and his fists tightening. "Okay." He nodded. "Well then." He spun around, aiming a punch to Bruce's jaw.

"No." Felicity shouted, but Bruce saw it coming. Blocking the strike, he twisted Oliver's arm behind his back, using his other arm to put Oliver in a head lock.

Sara pulled a dagger from her boot. "Let him go."

"He attacked me, Canary." Bruce said, as calmly as if he was asking about the weather.

"Bruce." Felicity said softly. "We need to work as a team."

He looked over at her and nodded, letting Oliver go. He stumbled back, moving towards Sara, glaring at Bruce.

"So." Bruce said. "Let's make a few things very clear; 1, Whatever Deathstroke is, he's got a personal vendetta against you. 2, he's enhanced and I believe you know exactly what caused it. 3, you need my help." He paused, looking over at Sara. "As to my relationship with Felicity, Ms. Lance," his voice was cold. "She has been nothing but honest with you in every respect. She didn't know I was Batman until she saw me in the lair and she didn't know I was her husband until I told her." He turned to Felicity. "Anything else is between her and me. It's none of anyone else's business."

"You come here." Oliver growled. "You turn my team against me, you ruin Felicity's life, you get her shot-"

"Hey." Felicity said. "I chose to take that bullet. And it's not up to you to yell at him for ruining my life; its my job."

"This is a conflict of interest." Oliver growled. "If you want to be a part of this team, you need to be completely invested in this team, not moonlighting with Batman."

Felicity couldn't believe him. "Because I'm sure your personal life has never been a conflict of interest." She snapped. "It's not like you were dating McKenna when she was head of the task force that was hunting you. Or that you slept with Isabel, the person who tried to steal your company and whose name is on the list of Merlyn's collaborators. Or that you were sleeping with Helena instead of realizing that she was spiraling on a murder path. Or that you have a complete blindspot for Laurel that almost got you killed" She glared at him moving closer. "Your personal life handcuffed me to a desk and pointed a crossbow at my head." She punctuated each 'your with a jab to the chest. "Your personal life fired me and is trying to have me investigated by the IRS. Your personal life tried to have you taken out by an armed SWAT team. Don't you dare talk to me about conflict of interest."

Bruce was looking at Oliver with amusement. Felicity rounded on him. "And you..." She broke off as he took a step back. She lowered her hand, exhaling slowly. "Thank you." She murmured, grateful that he'd taken her suggestion from the night before.

"It wasn't because I trust Queen." He said. "I trust your judgement."

Digg, who'd been silent until this point, walked over to Bruce. He stopped in front of him, his expression grim. He held out his hand. Bruce raised an eyebrow, but shook. Digg gripped his hand and pulled him in. "Let's make one thing clear." He said. "I don't like what you've done to Felicity, but if I know her, she's probably already given you hell for it. So I'll trust Batman to work with us, but Bruce Wayne has some work to do."

"Understood, Sergeant Diggle." Bruce said, turning to Sara and Oliver. "I suggest that we go on patrol." He glanced at the computer station, grimacing at it's state of disrepair. "Seeing as you don't have an adequate computer system, Felicity can work with mine." He looked over at her. "It's not as good as my set up in the Batcave, but it'll do."

"Where is it?" She asked.

"In the batplane."

She tilted her head; she must have heard him wrong. "Bat...Plane?" She asked.

"It's flying over the city." He said.

"You want me...to run your flying command center." Felicity gaped at him as he nodded. "I'm equal parts excited and terrified." She grinned. If his system was anything like the tablet she'd used the night before, she was going to have fun. "I can't wait to get my hands on your toys." She sighed. Oliver's nostrils flared. Sara gaped. Digg stifled a cough that was barely disguising a laugh. The corner of Bruce's mouth twitched upwards. She covered her face, this could not get worse.

Bruce seemed to understand her embarrassment because he quickly held out his hand. "I'll take you there." He said, pulling his cowl over his head. "Then I'll meet the rest of you." He motioned towards Team Arrow. "On patrol."

She looked at the hand, then looked back at the other members of Team Arrow. Oliver and Sara were glaring at Bruce's outstretched hand while Digg was shaking his head at them. If they weren't here, she realized, she wouldn't hesitate to take his hand. Smiling, she slid her hand in his. "To the BatPlane!" she grinned.


	18. Chapter 18

Bruce led Felicity up to the roof. She looked around. "So. How do I get up to the plane?"

Bruce clicked a button on his utility belt. She wasn't going to like this, so not explaining might be his best course of action. Holding out his arm he waited. The plane lowered so it was just visible above their heads. The bottom opened and a rope ladder came down. Felicity's eyes widened.

"No." She stepped back.

"Don't worry." Bruce said, pulling out a pair of carabiners attached by a cable. "Nothing will happen to you as long as I'm here."

She glanced at him, unsure. Bruce waited, holding out the cable. She shut her eyes. "just..." She swallowed.

Bruce stepped closer. "Do you think I'd let you let you get hurt?"

"Not physically." She murmured. Bruce didn't move, waiting. "Fine." She ceded. "Only because I really want to get my hands on your tools." Her eyes widened and even in the dark, he could see her cheeks turn red. "Just send me up."

Bruce came closer and secured her. He could feel her trembling. "Are you sure?" He asked and when he met her eyes, he didn't see fear.

"I made my decision."

He nodded. "Okay." He pressed a button on his utility belt. Felicity gripped the cable as it pulled her up into the Batplane. He clicked on his com. "You in?"

"Uh huh." She said. "Let me just...have a minute to have my stomach catch up to the rest of me."

Bruce chuckled as she let out a gasp. "Like it?"

"I could die here...not that I'm planning on it, but this is like technerd heaven...can I touch it?"

"You can touch anything you like." He said, making her hiss.

"Not funny, Bruce."

There was the sound of a throat clearing from behind him. The Arrow and the Canary had made it to the roof. Queen was griping his bow. "Have Felicity link up our coms." He growled before jumping across to the next rooftop.

"Did you hear that?" Bruce asked before taking off after the Canary and Arrow.

"Yes," Felicity said. "On it." There was the sound of typing. "I definitely want to keep these systems. We need to get ones like these in the Arrow Cave. Not that our old set up was bad, but this as next level and mama likes the next level."

"Felicity." Queen growled. Bruce's eyes widened.

"You use her name in the field?" Bruce couldn't believe he'd do something so stupid.

"She's not in any danger." Queen shot a zipline arrow and was about to use it to jump to the next rooftop when Bruce severed the line with a batarang. Sara gripped her bo staff. Bruce glared at Queen as he turned slowly to face him.

"You know that's not true." Bruce hissed.

"I don't know how things work in Gotham." Queen said, "But here, we don't sabotage our teammates."

"Well I don't know how things work in Starling," Bruce stepped closer so he was right in Queen's face. "But in Gotham, we don't reveal the identity of those helping us in potentially dangerous situations."

"Guys." Felicity's voice cut in. "This isn't the time to-"

Queen's lip curled. "She's safe with me."

"Really?" Bruce said. "You mean no one's ever made the connection between her and your identity and tried to hurt her in an effort to get to you." There was a sigh of irritation from Felicity, but Bruce ignored her. If she was operating in this life, she needed a codename. Queen's expression darkened, but he didn't answer. "That's what I thought." he said. "Would you like a code name?" he asked Felicity.

"Well..." She sounded hesitant. Queen's jaw clenched. "I kinda would like one, seeing as everyone else gets a costume and a name...and Batman's right about the security thing..." she stopped. Bruce couldn't help the small smile that curled the corner of his mouth. He wasn't above enjoying Felicity siding with him. Queen jerked his head up slightly towards where he believed Felicity to be in the Batplane.

"We can discuss this later." He growled.

"I'll come up with a list and run it by you." Felicity said. "Okay, there's suspicious activity down by the docks. I'm willing to bet it's triad subsidiaries making a weapons deal."

"Coordinates?" Bruce asked, Felicity gave them to the team. Queen and Sara looked at each other and seemed to come to an agreement.

"We're taking the motorcycle." He said, "Try to keep up, _Batman_." He and Sara jumped from the roof and made their way back to their lair. Bruce smirked.

"We don't have an extra bike." Felicity said.

"I don't need one." He pressed a button on his belt. There was a slight intake of breath from Felicity.

"Why is this moving?" She asked.

"Everything's fine." He said. Looking up, he grabbed at the cable that flew towards him. Grabbing it, he let it pull him up into the batplane. Felicity looked at him; her face pale and her mouth agape. Bruce leaned over her shoulder and began pushing buttons. The plane flew towards the coordinates of the arms deal. "When Queen gets here -"

"You'll be waiting for him and Sara to give you backup because teaming up with someone means not pulling a cowboy move and going off halfcocked." Felicity muted the coms before to turning to glare up at him.

Bruce frowned. "I can handle an arms deal on my own."

"That's not the point." She hissed. "This isn't your city, like it or not, it's Oliver's turf. How would you like it if he showed up in Gotham and took out your arms dealers?"

Bruce scoffed. "Not likely." Felicity arched an eyebrow. He sighed. "You seriously expect me to sit here and wait for him and Canary to catch up?"

"Yes." She growled. He looked down at the action at the dock. They were beginning to transfer merchandise. If he didn't act soon, those weapons would hit the black market and the streets.

"Except they're going to get away."

Felicity glanced back down. "Oh."

"Tell Queen I waited as long as I possibly could." Bruce jumped out of the batplane and landed in the center of the deal.

The various gang members froze, looking at him in confusion.

"Expecting someone else?" He growled.

* * *

Felicity made it back to the arrow cave with Bruce ahead of Oliver and Sara. Oliver stormed in, slamming his bow on the table. "What the hell," he growled. "Was that?"

"That." Bruce leaned against the med table. "Was a successful night of vigilantism."

"This is my city." Oliver hissed.

"And if I had waited for you, those weapons would have hit the streets." Bruce retorted. "I did you a favor."

"Oliver-" Felicity began.

"Don't." He held up his hand. "I can't deal with you siding with him."

"You can't deal?" She coughed in disbelief. "I'm not siding with anyone. I'm pointing out the obvious; if Bruce hadn't stepped in, you never would have made it on time to stop them. We didn't even know this arms deal was going down, I'd call this a win."

"Well maybe if you were focused on other things besides your marital status, you would have figured out about the arms deal sooner."

Felicity took a step back, then balled her fists up. "Oliver," Her voice was low as tried to maintain her composure. "You need to think long and hard about what you just said. If you haven't noticed, the computer system in here hasn't been replaced. I'd have done it myself, but due to a recent change in employment I don't have the money to afford a new state of the art tech set up. It's because of Bruce that I was able to pick up the chatter and find the weapons deal before it went down. It's because of Bruce that those guns are now safely in a police evidence lock up and most of the gang members are in jail." She grabbed her purse and stormed out of the arrowcave. She'd made it to her car when she heard movement behind her. Wiping away the angry tears that were burning down her cheeks she turned to glare up at the rooftop. "You didn't have to follow me."

"I know." Bruce's voice was hushed as it came over the com that was still in her ear. "I wanted to."

She got into her car. Leaning back, in her seat, she shut her eyes. "You can't follow me home." If anyone connected her to Batman, it could be dangerous.

"I know."

She turned on the engine and drove away.


	19. Chapter 19

Oliver looked around the fundraiser, trying not to grind his teeth. His mother and Thea were late. He didn't know how he was supposed to face them. He'd have to pretend, for Thea's sake, but it wasn't going to be easy.

"Any sign of them?" He mumbled, accepting a glass of champagne.

"No." Sara said, tugging at the hem of her dress. "Digg?"

"No." He was leaning against the wall.

"Well that's probably because their limo just pulled up." Felicity said. "I'm monitoring security cameras outside." There was a loud slurping sound.

"Felicity."

Sorry." She said. "Soda..." Clearing her throat.

"Soda...near your computers?" Digg sounded incredulous.

"Computer." Felicity corrected. "Singular. As in my laptop from home." Oliver heard her pull away, her voice muffled as she said. "No, that was not an indication that you should buy me a new system, I'm trying to get him to buy me a new system." Her voice came in louder. "Also the rules that apply to you people in the Arrow Cave do not necessarily apply to me."

"Who's with you?" Oliver demanded.

"Um..." There was the sound of typing. "I think you should worry about who's with your family right now."

"Who?" Sara asked as she and Oliver turned towards the door. He got the answer just before Felicity answered.

"Slade Wilson"

He was about to rush over to his mother when another voice came over the coms.

"Queen, don't do anything stupid."

He froze, recognizing the voice. Just what this night needed. "Wayne, what the hell are you doing on this frequency?" He hissed. Then it hit him. "You're in the foundry."

"Believe me, I am just as annoyed about it as you are." Bruce said. "But it happens to be where Felicity is. Don't engage Wilson. He's there deliberately to get under your skin and while I know that isn't exactly difficult, you can't let him see how much it affects you."

Oliver inhaled slowly and plastered a smile on his face, walking over to the group, greeting Thea first, nodding at Roy before turning to his mother and Slade. "Mom." He kissed her cheek. "Mr...Wilmore, right?" he said, holding out his hand.

"Wilson." Slade corrected. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Queen."

"You too." He said. Then he gulped as he looked past them. Laurel had just walked in with other employees from the DA's office. There was a slight intake of breath from Sara. Slade knew how important Laurel was to both of them...He was about to try to get her to leave when Felicity's voice came into his ear.

"Don't even think about it."

He bit his lip, nodding at whatever his mother was saying.

"Don't let him see you talking to Laurel. He's here to hurt you and those close to you." Felicity continued.

"Laurel's already on his list." Sara mumbled.

"Then don't give him any reason to put her higher up." Felicity said.

Oliver looked away from her and put his hand on his mother's arm, leaning in. "I'm going to go mingle." Then moved away from them. He could feel Slade's gaze on his back as he went. Sara had gone to stay close to Laurel. When Laurel saw her approach, she frowned.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. Then held up her hand. "No wait, let me guess. You're here with Ollie."

"Laurel." Sara said, but Laurel shook her head.

"You know, you better watch your back, that little blonde assistant of his is head over heels for him."

Oliver turned away from them, wishing the coms didn't work well enough to pick up their conversation.

"Laurel how many have you had?" Sara said softly.

"I don't need you to take care of me." Laurel snapped. "I've been doing great without you. In fact, it's only since you came back that things went bad." She turned and wobbled out of the fundraiser.

"Digg, make sure she gets a cab." Felicity murmured.

"It's okay." Sara said. "I'll tail her and make sure she makes it home okay..." She grimaced. "I..." She broke off and left.

Oliver felt a sense of guilt, but also relief that Laurel was out of Slade's grasp. He glanced over at him and felt a swoop of dread as he realized that the ex mercenary was watching the entrance where Sara and Laurel had just exited. And that he was smiling. He hoped Mirakuru didn't enhance hearing.

* * *

Felicity muted her com and leaned away from the laptop. Bruce was sitting in a chair next to her, his face inscrutable.

"Well..." She said, trying to break the tense silence. "That was...awkward."

Bruce arched an eyebrow.

"Look." She didn't know how to explain or why she even felt she needed to explain. "There's nothing between Oliver and me."

Bruce didn't reply, but frowned at the screen.

"Bruce."

When she got no reply, she sighed, rolling her eyes. "Don't know why I even bother."

Silence fell. Bruce's expression softened and he sighed. "It's not that I don't believe you." He said finally. "It's just...I'm not sure he knows that." He shrugged. "Besides, it's none of my business." He leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling and added. "You're planning on divorcing me anyways."

Felicity didn't know how to respond. On the one hand a part of her warmed at the thought of Oliver having deeper feelings than friendship, then the thought of how he'd treated her the last couple days quashed that hope. And she wasn't sure why, but the way Bruce had said divorce twisted her stomach into knots. She blinked and looked straight at the screen. Oliver was brooding in the corner of the gala, watching his mother dance with Slade.

"That can't be good." She mumbled. "I mean imagine if the two of them..." She shuddered. "I guess they operate on the same evil wave length, but I really hope they don't realize it and plan some kind of world domination." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the corner of Bruce's mouth tick upwards. "The universe isn't that evil."

"One thing I've learned." Bruce said, softly. "Is to never underestimate the ability of evil."

Felicity felt a chill run through her and shifted her seat closer to Bruce. He arched an eyebrow. "It's drafty." She said.

* * *

Oliver tried to ignore Slade and his mother, repeating Felicity's words to him over and over in his mind. He couldn't make a scene. He couldn't let Slade see how badly he was being affected.

"Lovely woman your mother."

Slade's gruff voice came from behind him. Oliver didn't turn.

"She is." He mumbled.

"She's worried you might be angry with her." Slade continued.

"I'd rather not discuss my mother with you, Slade." Oliver growled.

"It's lovely to come to a new place and make new friends." Slade continued, putting a hand on Oliver's shoulder. "You've made one, from what I've seen."

"Not sure what you mean." Oliver said, icily.

"Batman." Slade said. "A worthy adversary, but even he can't save you from what's coming." He smiled and walked away. Oliver gripped the bar resisting the urge to attack Slade as he walked away.


	20. Chapter 20

Moira watched Oliver and Slade Wilson's interaction. It had not escaped her notice how cold and distant her son had been in recent days. Furthermore, he'd been consistently rude to Mr. Wilson. While she couldn't understand his reaction to the businessman, she had a suspicion that she knew why he was cold towards her; Felicity Smoak. She must have told him about Thea. Moira needed to talk to him. It was imperative that he not reveal anything to Thea. She didn't know if she'd be able to handle such a revelation about her parentage.

She waited for Oliver to step aside before walking over to him and putting her hand on his arm. Smiling, so that anyone watching would think they were having a pleasant conversation, she murmured.

"I think we need to talk."

He forced a tightlipped smile on his face before leaning closer. "Is it true?"

Moira's stomach clenched. That little witch; she'd told him. "Oliver, I did what I had to, to protect Thea."

"How is keeping this from her, protecting her?" Oliver hissed. "Malcolm is dead. He can't hurt her anymore. This isn't about keeping her safe anymore, it's about you and your precious reputation. If you had come clean when you told us about the affair, she would have understood. Now..." He smiled over at where Thea was talking to Roy, but the smile didn't meet his eyes. "Now it's too late."

Moira could hear her pulse pounding in her ears. What would he do? Was it possible he'd keep this secret? Oliver let out a huff and looked back at her and she had to fight to stop herself from stepping back. She'd never seen him look so cold.

"I'm not going to tell her, because it would destroy her, but you and I...we're done." Turning, he walked away from her. Moira shook. Smiling, she waved away one of her campaign managers before calmly making her way out of the main room into a hallway to catch her breath and compose herself. She couldn't let anyone see how much Oliver's words had affected her. She couldn't let this derail her campaign. Clenching her fists, she was just about to turn and go back into the fundraiser when she heard someone say,

"Is everything alright, Mrs. Queen?"

Slade Wilson was standing a few feet from the door, blocking her path back to the fundraiser. She hadn't heard him arrive.

"Yes," She said, smiling. "I apologize for Oliver's rudeness, he's...going through a difficult time right now. He just discovered that someone close to him didn't have his best interests at heart."

Slade waved away her explanation. "You seemed to be upset after your conversation with him."

Moira examined him. There was something about Slade Wilson. Something that was more than met the eye. It was similar to what she'd sensed about Malcolm years ago, but...more controlled.

"It's because of his former assistant." She sighed. "Felicity Smoak."

Slade tilted his head. "The woman who was with Bruce Wayne at your house the other night."

"Yes." Moira said. "She's been married to Bruce for three years, all the while ingratiating herself to Oliver." She feigned weakness, worry. "I believe she's resentful of my revealing her duplicity to Oliver and is trying to turn him against me."

"You're his mother, Mrs. Queen." Wilson said. "At the end of the day, the bond you and he share is more important to him than what he might feel for her."

Moira shut her eyes. "I just hope you're right." Inside she felt triumphant. If she could manipulate Slade Wilson, she might be able to remove Felicity Smoak. Then Oliver would turn back to her. He'd have to.


	21. Chapter 21

"Where are you staying?" Felicity asked as she tried to not watch Bruce examining the salmon ladder.

"Motel a ways outside the city under an assumed name." He replied, picking up the bar and testing its weight. "I paid cash and they didn't really ask questions." He glanced up at the salmon ladder.

"You should take your shirt off."

Felicity clapped her hand over her mouth in horror as Bruce turned to look at her, a look of bemused interest on his face.

"Oh?" He said, putting the bar on the ground and leaning on it. "And why's that?"

"For the..." Felicity waved a hand over the salmon ladder, turning away from him. "It's easier to do if your arms and shoulders aren't constricted." She mumbled, looking down at her laptop. "It was just a suggestion, it wasn't meant to sound like me flirting with you, but it came out wrong."

"Did it?" Bruce propped the bar up against the desk and reached for the hem of his shirt. Felicity's eyes widened. "Because there are those that would say a Freudian slip reveals what a person really wants."

Felicity bit her lip, flushing and shifting in her seat. "Well, there are those that would then point out that Freud was a sexist and that many of his theories are no longer accepted by modern psychologists." She wasn't looking away, why wasn't she looking away?

"Because you don't want to." Bruce replied and with one fluid motion pulled his shirt off and grabbed the bar and proceeded to saunter over to the salmon ladder. Any response Felicity might have had or embarrassment she might have felt went out of her head as she watched the muscles in his back tense and move as he traveled up the ladder. It was different than watching Oliver because with Oliver it was fantasy; she could only imagine what it might feel like to touch his skin. With Bruce she knew. Scattered memories of pressing her palms against his back and digging her nails in as he moved above her flooded her mind.

"Felicity?" He had paused at the top and was looking back at her curiously. She tried to reply, but no sound came out. Tearing her eyes away, she forced herself to look at her laptop. The next few minutes were tense and silent as she monitored the rest of the gala while he went up and down the salmon ladder. At least she tried to monitor the salmon ladder. Inside, her head was in turmoil. Bruce had seemed genuinely upset earlier when he mentioned the prospect of divorce. Not to mention that he'd definitely been jealous when he'd heard Laurel tell Sara that Felicity wanted Oliver. She couldn't make sense of it. He didn't get the right to show up after 3 years of silence and avoiding her and be a part of her life...and yet...getting to know him the last couple of days made her want to give him a chance...not as her husband, but he definitely seemed like the type of person she'd be interested in more than just a casual acquaintance with.

* * *

Sara and Oliver had changed into the uniforms they'd stashed before the fundraiser and were preparing to go on patrol. Bruce was about to suit up and join them when Felicity's voice stopped him. "Bruce." She'd been quiet since the Salmon ladder, but she when she met his eyes there was a determined look in them. "How do you feel about midnight snacks? Specifically ice cream and big belly burger?"

He gave her a blank look. Of all the things he'd expected her to say, that was definitely not one he'd considered. She must have taken his look for a refusal because her shoulders slumped and she looked away from him, mumbling "nevermind."

"Felicity." He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "I wasn't turning you down." She stilled and leaned against him slightly. "Ice cream and big belly burger sounds good. I'll pick some up on my way back here."

"Actually..." She hesitated. "Actually I was thinking more that we'd be eating at my place..."

It wasn't often that he was caught off guard, but she'd managed to do it twice in a matter of minutes.

"Just food." She said firmly. He smiled and pulled the cowl over his head.

"Of course...Mrs. Wayne."

He heard a surprised laugh sound out behind him. "Don't call me that." She shouted after him.

* * *

"What do we know about Felicity Smoak?" Slade asked as entered his office. Isabel Rochev was sitting behind the desk. Her usually expressionless face twisted in to annoyed rage.

"Not you too." She sneered.

Slade sat across from her. "Moira Queen seems to believe that she is important to the boy." Slade said. "And all my information seems to point to her being his technical assistance." He leaned forward. "You worked with them both...what is your impression?"

Isabel drummed her fingers on the table. "He claims they are only friends and his reputation is well founded but..." She tilted her head. "It is interesting that he hasn't had sex with her like all the other women he's encountered. It could mean...that he cares more deeply about her..."

Slade's fists clenched slightly behind Isabel Shado looked at him thoughtfully.

"It's true." She said softly. "He uses women, he hurts us. Then he lets us die. It has to stop. If he hasn't slept with her, it means she's like the picture he had on the island; an idea that he can use and manipulate and create to be whatever he wants. He needs to pay for what he did to me." She smiled. "And if you do this...you'd be saving her too."

Slade felt a smile tugging at his lips. "Tell me all you know about Felicity Smoak."


	22. Chapter 22

Felicity paced back and forth in her apartment. Why the hell had she thought this was a good idea? She should call Bruce right now and cancel. Wringing her hands, she looked at her phone but couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't pick it up; something held her back. Whatever that something was, she hated it. Or she loved it. Liked it. She liked it, not loved it. She didn't love anything in reference to Bruce.

There was a knock at the door, mercifully tearing her from the mental hole she'd dug herself. She walked over to it. Taking a deep breath, because there was no fighting it now, she opened the door. Bruce was holding a takeout bag and a supermarket bag that she supposed held ice cream.

"Are you alright?" He said. She bit her lip; clearly she wasn't as good as hiding her panic as she thought.

"How freaked out do I look on a scale of one to Psycho shower scene?" She asked. Bruce held out the bags of take out.

"Besides the clothes, you're identical." He said. "I promise I have no knives except the plastic ones contained within these bags."

Felicity nodded. "Good. Because that movie freaked me out. I went to a Hitchcock festival when I was 9 and didn't sleep for a week." She looked at the ground unsure how to proceed. Bruce cleared his throat.

"If you want to eat outside..." He said.

"No." Felicity said quickly, motioning him inside. "My manners are...well clearly they need work. It's not that I don't want you inside. My apartment." She felt her face burn as Bruce quirked an eyebrow as he shut the door behind him. "It's that I'm nervous and I'm not exactly sure how to do this. I've never been on a first date with my husband before. Which I suppose most people haven't. Unless you include arranged marriages. Do people who have arranged marriages go on dates? Or do they go straight to the..." She motioned with her hands. "You left the toilet seat up, it's your turn to do the dishes marriage thing."

Bruce had put the bag of take out on the living room table and was watching her. She fidgeted, trying to pull herself together.

"I suppose you're feeling better about my divorce suggestion now." She mumbled, looking away from him. Bruce sat on the couch, an amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Honestly, this reinforces my opinion of you." He said and Felicity felt a swooping cold dread in her stomach. "You're honest to a fault and babble when you're nervous." He reached for the food. "I already knew those things."

She watched him, frowning slightly. "Interesting and I'm supposing you learned those things during one of the extensive conversations we've had during the last 3 years."

Bruce didn't even flinch. "No, during our first one." He leaned back, examining her. She swallowed nervously, reaching absentmindedly for the fries. They ate in silence. He was waiting for her to say something. She could feel it, but she wasn't sure she could continue this particular conversation without being painfully open about her fears and maybe that was for the best. After all, if she laid everything out now, she could protect herself later.

"It's just..." She sighed, looking away from Bruce and focusing completely on her food. Her heart was hammering and she had to force the next words out of her mouth. "There's a tendency for people in my life to leave and..." She looked back at him. "You already left, before you even gave me a chance." He didn't say anything, waiting for her to finish her thought. "So tell me why I should give you a second chance."

"I can't tell you should." Bruce said. "The reasons I didn't tell you were selfish and I'd be lying if I said the reasons for wanting to continue weren't either." He shifted so his body was facing hers. "I'm of the opinion that you should give me a second chance, but I might be biased.

"Ah." Felicity smirked, grabbing a milkshake. "Might."

The corner of Bruce's mouth twitched. Felicity frowned, looking at the milkshake. Something was wrong...in fact...

"This is isn't from Big Belly Burger." She said, grabbing the bag. "The bag is, but the food..." She frowned at him.

"I had Alfred make similar food." Bruce said. Felicity gaped at him.

"You had your butler make burgers and fries instead of walking into a fast food place."

"He refused to allow me." Bruce countered. "Apparently no Mrs. Wayne was ever treated to fast food on a first date and he wouldn't let me be the man that broke tradition."

Felicity laughed. Bruce looked at her, slightly peeved.

"What?"

"Nothing." She grinned. "I just can't get over the fact that the terror of Gotham criminals gets ordered around by his butler."

"Haha" Bruce reached for his milkshake. Felicity watched him.

"Put it in the fridge." He arched an eyebrow. She motioned to her fridge. "Put it in the fridge. You want a first date? We're going to have a first date. Put the gourmet fastfood in the fridge and come with me." She stood, going over to the fridge.

"Where are we going?" Bruce asked as Felicity grabbed her keys.

"You'll see." She walked over to her Mini coop. He stopped, looking at the car.

"No." He said. Felicity looked at his rigid posture, and the way he was glaring at the car. She recognized the calculating look as the same one Oliver used when he was casing out a criminal hideout. He was checking for weaknesses, assessing it for vulnerabilities and, from the slight curl of his lip, he had found it lacking.

"It is killing you to not be in control right now." Felicity said, smirking. "Trust me, Mr. Wayne, apparently I'm your wife."

Bruce looked at her. "I'm driving." He said.

"Of course." She said, going to the driver's side and getting in. Bruce arched an eyebrow.

"Unless this is a British car, I'm getting the feeling that you're completely disregarding what I said."

Felicity smirked. "Bingo." She motioned to the passenger seat. "If you want I'll give you one of those toy steering wheels that kids play with and I'll even put a bat sticker in the center to make you more comfortable."

He didn't reply, but begrudgingly got in the passenger seat. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere low profile." Felicity smiled. "Trust me, you'll love it." Driving to the glades, she stopped in front of a 24 hour diner. Getting out of the car, she didn't wait for Bruce to follow her before going up to the door. He followed, glancing around the neighborhood. "It's completely safe." She said, opening the door.

"Felicity." She was immediately greeted by the young woman behind the counter. She grinned.

"Hey Tanya, how's school?"

"Good, I got a scholarship." Tanya pushed one of her braids out of her eyes and gave Felicity an excited grin. "Which means Pops doesn't have to worry about paying for college anymore."

Felicity gave her a hug. Tanya was one of the most promising programmers she'd met in a while, but had to put off going to college after her family's diner was partially destroyed in the earthquake. Felicity had met her when she was helping the volunteer effort and had put a good word in to the MIT admissions office and stolen some of Malcolm Merlyn's assets to help fund a special scholarship that she insured went to Tanya.

"Who's this?" Tanya asked, looking Bruce up and down. Felicity smirked.

"He's...a friend."

Tanya arched an eyebrow. "A friend, huh?"

"Yeah." Felicity said. "Why?"

"I don't have any friends that look like that, or your other cute one."

"John's way too old for you." Felicity said, playfully shoving Tanya. Her crush on Digg was adorable. "Besides you'll have more important things to worry about than boys. Studying, college, dazzling the world with your brilliance."

Tanya laughed. "I'll get your usual and what does your...friend...want?" She wagged her eyebrows. Felicity cut Bruce off as he opened his mouth to respond.

"He'll have what I'm having."

She motioned him over to a booth.

"Your friend seems nice." He remarked.

"She is." Felicity smiled and waved over at Mr. Gardner, Tanya's father who was working in the kitchen. He smiled back at her. "I met them after the earthquake. I was dead tired one night and...even though there was a huge hole in that wall over there." She pointed behind Bruce. "And that part of the diner was missing, Mr. Gardner was still making coffee and sandwiches for volunteers." She grinned. "Best cup of coffee in Starling."

"And she's interested in..."

"Computers, like me." Felicity looked over at her. "Her mother died when she was little and it was always just her and her dad. She'd gotten accepted at Starling University, but...they couldn't afford it after the earthquake. I pulled a few strings, threatened a few people and..." she cleared her throat. "I may have infiltrated some firewalls, but she's going to MIT next year." She grinned. "Then she'll have her pick of whatever job she'll want."

"Tanya Gardner?" Bruce asked innocently. Felicity's eyes narrowed.

"Yes?"

"Well I'll send her name along to the head of Wayne Enterprises' internship program." He said, smiling as Tanya brought over two cups of coffee, followed by two plates of waffles. "Waffles?" He asked.

"What is the point of a 24 hour diner if you don't eat breakfast food at midnight?" Tanya asked. Felicity laughed as Bruce nodded slowly.

"I concede to your superior wisdom." He said. Tanya grinned and winked at Felicity.

"He's a smart one." She whispered, walking away.

Felicity tilted her head, looking at him. "Eh, he's alright." She mumbled. Bruce leaned back in his seat, a smug expression on his face. "What?" She said.

"That may be the nicest thing you've said about me." He said.

"I'm a romantic." She sighed, dramatically. Bruce chuckled.

"Well, if that's all it takes, I think you're alright too." He took a bite out of the waffle. "And this is amazing."

"It's comforting to know that your wife rates lower than a waffle." Felicity laughed.

"I'm pretty sure you'd say the same about your husband." Bruce said dryly.

"Don't know him well enough, but I do know these waffles." Felicity motioned to her plate. "And they are orgasmic." She immediately regretted her choice of adjective when Bruce's eyes darkened slightly.

He leaned forward, looking at her intently. "Your husband could be too." Felicity flushed, clearing her throat.

"Well...only the waffles are getting any action tonight." she winced at the sentence. "I don't put out on a first date, buddy. Even when the date and I are bound till death."

"Does that happen often?" Bruce chuckled.

"Well there was this one incident with a lacrosse player freshman year." Felicity watched in amusement as Bruce's jaw tensed. "I'm joking." She said. "You're the only one I'm secretly married to...as far as I know."

Bruce looked back at the waffles. "I suppose I deserved that." He mumbled.

"Damn right you did." Felicity said.


	23. Chapter 23

Felicity was in a great mood that morning. Well more like early afternoon, she thought to herself as she looked over her phone. Smiling up at the ceiling, she stretched. One perk of no longer working as Oliver's EA was that she no longer had to get up in the mornings. She rolled over, getting comfortable under her blankets. She'd forgotten the last time she'd been this giddy. Because that's what her late night date with Bruce had made her; giddy. While she'd never tell him outright, she was actually thinking about asking him again. She frowned. Thinking, she reminded herself. Because she was under no obligation to entertain the desires of a man who hadn't bothered to contact her for three years.

As soon as this Slade thing was over...She frowned, sitting up and stopping that train of thought. Was she going to abandon the team and move across the country to become Mrs. Wayne? The thought made her shudder. Alright, she needed coffee. She got up and walked towards the kitchen. Coffee and time to fully weigh all her options. So she was definitely wasn't going to shack up with Bruce and become a pearl wearing society wife...but she also didn't want completely cut him out of her life.

Coffee. She opened the cabinets, pulling out the filters and coffee. She needed it yesterday. Turning on the machine she hummed to herself, thinking about Bruce and how he'd kissed her goodnight only a few hours ago. Pressing her fingers to her cheek, she smiled as the coffee machine gurgled.

"Enjoying your morning, Ms. Smoak?" A low gruff voice sounded behind her. She tensed, not wanting to turn around. If she turned around and saw him, it would make it real.

"How..." she swallowed, cursing the shakiness of her voice. She reached for the handle of the coffee pot. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh Ms. Smoak." Slade Wilson chuckled. "I think we can all dispense with the pretense. You know who and what I am." There was a sound of sliding metal. It made her hair stand on end, she shivered, forcing her hand to keep steady. "Come with me and this will all be over quickly."

He was going to kill her. When she'd pictured her death, being stabbed in her kitchen was not even in the top ten scenarios she'd come up with...not that she'd pictured it often.

Slade laughed. "You amuse me, Ms. Smoak. I won't kill you...just yet. Later, well that depends on your friend, Queen."

She gripped the handle tighter. "You can't expect to kidnap me in broad daylight."

"Funny thing about this time of day, Ms. Smoak." His voice was coming closer. She fought the urge to retch as he drew his fingers through the base of her ponytail. "Is that no one is at home. Everyone's at work, or too absorbed in their own dull lives to care about yours." He came closer so she could feel his breath on her neck. She let out a horrified squeak. "No one will hear you scream."

She whirled around, swinging the coffee pot. The glass shattered as it made contact with the side of his face. She dropped the handle and ran towards the door, ignoring the burn of the scalding liquid on her hand and the blood trickling down her arm. She had to make it to the door.

"Clever girl." Slade said, grabbing her and yanking her back. She stumbled and screamed before he gripped her throat, slamming her against the fridge. He shoved his face in hers, his burnt skin, bubbling and healing before her eyes. She squirmed. "If you know what's good for you, you'll be quiet." The cold steel of the sword pressed against the hollow of her neck. She opened her mouth. "Hush." He said and it almost sounded...gentle. "I'm saving you." Then he hit her on the side of the head. Cold rushed through her body before her vision turned black.

* * *

Bruce sensed something was wrong the second Felicity didn't answer her phone. He drove over to her place, ignoring the speed limit. He walked up to her door, prepared to pick the lock, he'd take her being mad at him for breach of personal boundaries the second he knew she was safe...problem was...some one had already picked the lock. He swung the door open, prepping for a fight. There was no one.

"Felicity?" He called out. No response. He glanced around the apartment, taking in all the details. Broken coffee pot, coffee everywhere...and blood.

She'd been kidnapped, that much was clear. She'd fought back too. His first instinct was that it was Slade, but he needed evidence.

He found it when he pushed open the door to her room. A sword had been sunk into her bed, through her pillow on the spot where her head would likely rest. There was a note.

 _ **The one you love most.**_

Bruce's fists clenched. The katana was the same one Deathstroke had carried during their fight. Queen. This was because of Queen. Wilson had probably guessed that Oliver cared about Felicity and was using her in some sick ploy to get back at him.

He pulled out his phone. "Sergeant Diggle." He said as soon as the other man picked up. "Felicity's been taken. Slade left a present for Queen." He hung up, he needed a plan and thankfully he'd been working on one. He walked back to his car, calling Alfred.

"He's got Felicity. We need to work double time on our science experiment."

* * *

Felicity groaned, sitting up. She was sitting in lavish apartment. Her burnt hand was covered in some kind of cooling salve. And her wrists and legs were zip-tied. "Hello?" She called out. Her head pounded and she squeezed her eyes shut. That jerk had really messed her up. "Not to complain about your hospitality." She shouted. "But expect a terrible yelp review once I get my hands on a phone."

There was a low rumbling chuckle as Slade came into view. He seemed utterly relaxed and didn't have a scratch on him. He sat across from her in an armchair, lounging. He looked her up and down, and she pulled her knees up to her chest, wincing as she realized she was still in her Tardis pajamas. She might need to start having a wardrobe that was kidnapping by super villain appropriate.

"You are quite lively, Ms. Smoak." He remarked. "I can see why the boy cares for you."

Oliver. She realized. He meant Oliver.

"Have you met my husband?" She asked. "Bruce Wayne? Insanely attractive, smart, caring, funny, and CEO of a company with military weapons contracts." She tried to ignore the zip-ties cutting into her skin and the tingling from her burnt hand. "When he finds out I'm missing, he's going to fly over from Gotham and you better hope you're not here when he does."

"Bruce Wayne?" Slade laughed. "That party boy may treat those around him better than Oliver, but make no mistake; deep down they're all the same. He cares about one person, Ms. Smoak; himself."

She really didn't like the way he was looking at her. It was a mixture of pity and...hunger. She shivered, feeling disgusted.

"Thankfully for you." He continued. "I have saved you my dear."

He stood and walked towards the door. "Do not be afraid, Ms. Smoak. I won't be gone long. There's others who need saving from Oliver Queen."


	24. Chapter 24

It took hours before his cellphone rang. Bruce was bent over a desk, looking at a sample in a microscope. He grit his teeth, answering it. "Bruce Wayne."

"Uh, Mr. Wayne?" The voice sounded uncertain. "You're listed as one of the emergency contacts for Felicity Smoak?"

"She's my wife." Bruce said, a strange warm feeling in his stomach at the thought of her putting him on her list of emergency contacts.

There was a surprised coughing sound on the other line. "Well." The man said. "My name is Quentin Lance, I'm with the SCPD and...there's no easy way to say this, but...it appears she's been abducted."

Bruce exhaled slowly. "I'm flying in from Gotham. I'll be there as soon as I can. Please send all the information you have to Lucius Fox at Wayne Industries. Thank you, Officer Lance."

Hanging up, Bruce shot one last glare through the microscope. Backing away from it, he scrubbed a hand over his face, frustrated. He was so close and yet the answer was just out of his reach.

"Master Bruce." Alfred came to stand behind him.

"He won't kill her." Bruce murmured. "Not yet at least. He's using her to get to Queen. So he'll want to do it in front of him." Outside the sun was going down. He stood, going over to his suit. "I'm going to need to get to him first."

"And the antidote to the Mirakuru?" Alfred said. Bruce glanced dismissively at the microscope. "It isn't ready sir."

"I know." He sighed. "At the very least what we've created should slow him down enough..."

"Enough?" Alfred repeated. "Might I remind you that you were nearly killed the last time you engaged him?"

"I didn't forget." Bruce muttered, pulling on his suit. "But he has Felicity and I can't just leave her." He grabbed the rest of the antidote. "Keep working, this formula is close. I'll take the rest. Hopefully I won't need to use it." Putting a syringe in his utility belt, he pulled his cowl over his head.

He'd made it a few blocks from the building when he ran into the Canary. She was staring at an apartment window, on alert.

"Any leads?" He asked. She shook her head, keeping her gaze on the window.

"My sister's apartment." She murmured. Bruce watched as Laurel Lance walked passed the window. "Slade's going to come after her." She explained. "I need to make sure she's safe." Bruce nodded, turning to go to the next building. "Wayne." Sara said. "I...I know Oliver would be pissed if I told you this, but I'd start looking by going to talk to Moira Queen." She frowned. "She and Slade were pretty cozy at that fundraiser and while Oliver's sure she's innocent..."

"You're not convinced." Bruce finished as she trailed off. He tilted his head. "Why are you telling me this and not Oliver?"

"Because even though he knows she's capable of lying to him, he doesn't see what's right in front of him." Sara sighed. "I don't trust Moira."

Bruce nodded his thanks. Though the Canary supported Queen, at least she had a good head on her shoulders. "Make sure he doesn't make any rash moves against Wilson." He said.

"Like you are now?" Sara pointed out. Bruce grit his teeth. "You're not the only one who cares about Felicity. Call Digg for backup." She turned back to her sister's window. "You need to kill him."

Bruce glared at her. "That's not how I do things."

"And how has that worked for you?" Sara retorted. Bruce examined her expression. There was anger in her eyes...and regret.

"How has living with what you've done worked for you?" He asked. "I am getting Felicity back from Deathstroke and I'm doing it my way."

He turned, leaving Sara to her vigil. If Moira knew something, he'd find out.

* * *

A family dinner. Moira smiled to herself as she checked over the kitchen staff's progress. Oliver might be mad, but family came first. He'd come around because deep down, family was what mattered the most. Family, not his passing attraction to that interfering blonde bespeckled bimbo Felicity Smoak.

Smiling, she walked through the Queen Mansion. Thea was upstairs, getting ready, Oliver would be here soon. Everything was falling into place. She walked into the entrance hall, pausing to look around. Yes, things were finally going her way.

The lights went out. She frowned, looking around. She'd had the electrical system overhauled not even three days ago. How could it be malfunctioning? There was a crash and the sound of shattering glass from the floor above. She covered her eyes, ducking as glass rained down on her. She didn't scream, but she did trip over her heels in an attempt to move away. A figure was standing in the broken window, the darkness obscuring his features. A dark cape whipped around him as he moved forward. Jumping over the banister, he landed in front of her.

"Mrs. Queen." A deep growl echoed around him making her freeze. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. This wasn't the Arrow. It wasn't Oliver; it was someone else entirely.

"Who...Who are you?" She cursed the tremble in her voice as she moved backwards.

"We need to talk." He growled, moving forward. "Where is Slade Wilson?"

"I don't-"

"Don't." He grabbed her and slammed her against the wall. "Lie to me." With his face so close to her, she could see that his cowl covered the entire top part of his face, obscuring any distinguishing features. His eyes were cold, angry and focused. She'd never seen eyes like his before.

"Slade Wilson...is a campaign contributor." She gasped out. "Nothing more."

He didn't seem to be convinced. In fact, his expression never faltered. She felt small, weak.

"You have no idea who you're messing with." She said, trying to gain the upper hand. A smile curled the corner of his mouth.

"Malcolm Merlyn isn't here to save you or remove obstacles to your power for you." He said. "Like he did with your husband. And that jury." The horror must have shown on her face. "Tell me what you know about Slade Wilson."

She couldn't stop the words from falling from her mouth. "I wanted him to get Felicity Smoak away from my son." She gasped. "I was going to convince him to..." The look of cold anger that flashed in his eyes could have frozen the Sahara. "I never...I never got the chance to do anything more than mention her to him."

"Where is he?" He growled.

"He's got an office on the west side of the financial district. I met him there to talk about campaign matters."

"The address." He growled.

"52 market street. pent house." She gasped out. He stepped back.

"In the future, Mrs. Queen." He growled. "You should be very careful about who you associate with." He shot a grapple line, flying out of the house, his cape flapping around him like the wings of some horrifying bat. She slumped against the wall, her knees giving out. The lights flickered back on.

"Mom." Thea called. "MOM."

"I'm here." She whispered, unable to muster up the courage to lift herself up. All she could do was stare out the window where the intruder had disappeared as Thea rushed to her side.

* * *

"What the HELL, WAYNE?" Oliver's voice came over Bruce's com as he made his way back to Starling City.

"I see you've spoken to your mother." He said, dryly.

"Thea called me in tears. Apparently a giant caped crazy person broke into our house and threatened our mother." Oliver sounded beyond furious.

"I needed information." Bruce said. "She gave it to me. If you hadn't noticed, Slade has my wife."

"What does that have to do-"

"How about you talk to your mother?" Bruce said. "While you play Brady Bunch, I'm going to save Felicity." He muted Queen's protests. "Hold on Felicity." He whispered.


	25. Chapter 25

Slade had removed the zip-ties from her hands and ankles, replacing them with ropes, which were only marginally less painful. She squirmed, struggling against the ropes. If she had to sit one more hour, listening to Slade talking to himself in the other room, she'd go crazy.

"Just kill me already." She muttered, trying to pull her wrists though the ropes. "It'll be more comfortable and less annoying."

There was a noise behind her. She whirled around as a cold breeze fluttered the curtains. She gulped; the windows had all been closed. She'd checked. The door banged open and Slade walked in, glaring at her.

"What?" She said. Slade looked at the window. Shooting her a suspicious look, he walked over to the window, sticking his head out. Felicity gulped.

"Did you open this?" He growled. Felicity lifted her bound hands.

"Kinda tied up." She said. Slade gnashed his teeth before looking over to the side of the room. It was at though he was listening to someone.

"I know." He growled. "But I don't think she understands." Felicity looked at the corner of the room.

"Who are you talking to?" She asked. Slade ignored her.

"She'll see." He said. "But she has to be made to listen."

"Wha-"

Slade stopped her by smacking her across the face. The blow was hard enough to send her to the floor. She squeezed her eyes shut as pain radiated through her cheek. Slade picked her up and put her back on the couch.

"Don't touch me." She said, shrinking away from him as he reached his fingers to her face. He gripped her chin, staring into her eyes.

"You still do not see..." He said slowly before dropping her and pulling away. He walked out, shutting and locking the door. Felicity lowered her head, letting tears fall.

"Are you hurt?" She looked up. Bruce was emerging from behind the curtain of the far window. He walked over to her, gently cupping her jaw to look at where Slade had hit her. She was so relieved she could kiss him. He pressed his finger to his lips. "Where's Slade?" He whispered, coming around and cutting her free. She pointed to the other room. Bruce took her wrists in his hand and looked over the red raw marks from the zip-ties and ropes. He growled. "We're getting you out of here."

She nodded, getting to her feet. Bruce, pulled her into his arms, carrying her. She wound her arm over his shoulders as he went back towards the window.

"Batman." Slade's voice rang through the room. Felicity gripped Bruce's shoulders. "I don't believe you were invited." He smiled. "Ms. Smoak, leaving so soon and without a goodbye?"

"Go." She whispered, looking at the tension in Bruce's jaw she could tell he was going to try and fight him. "We can fight him later."

He nodded, removing something from his utility belt.

"Well I'm afraid that isn't happening." Slade drew his sword. Bruce put her down, turning to block her body with his.

"There's a grapple attached to the let side of my utility belt." He said. "Get it and fire it at the building across." Felicity took it.

"What are you-?" She gasped as he ran at Slade. "NO."

Bruce ducked Slade's first sword strike. The second one hit his arm. Felicity covered her mouth in horror, but it only struck metal.

"I made a few upgrades to the suit since the last time we fought." Bruce growled. Felicity turned and shot the grapple at the building as Bruce had instructed.

"So I see." Slade said, his voice sounded amused. "What is it that made you decide to save this woman?"

Bruce didn't respond, instead he used Slade's distraction to stab him with a syringe. Slade blinked in surprise, then let out a laugh. The laugh quickly turned to a coughing fit as he pressed his hand to his neck. Bruce stepped back, grabbing Felicity and taking the grapple from her. Shooting it, he jumped. Felicity clung to him, biting her lip to keep her from screaming. There was an open car waiting for them. Bruce landed inside, putting her down. She shifted into the backseat as the car roof came up over them.

"That should hold him." Bruce said as the car roared through the Starling streets. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "What was that?" She mimed stabbing. The corner of Bruce's mouth twitched.

"An antidote that Alfred and I have been working on." He said. Felicity's eyes opened wide. He'd found a way to reverse Mirakuru? He winced. "It needs a bit more work...at most it caused him unimaginable pain and gave him hives."

Felicity glanced at her wrists. "Well I'll take what I can get and if unimaginable pain is all there is, then well..." She glanced outside. "Where are we going?"

"The Ferris Air strip." Bruce replied.

"Is this some misguided attempt to get me out of the city?" Felicity asked. Bruce sighed.

"No this is a completely rational decision to get you as far away from the man who kidnapped you as possible." He said.

"I can't just-"

"Yes you can." Bruce said. "You have a target on your back and Slade won't be as forgiving next time he comes near you." He pulled up to the airstrip. Alfred was standing next to a small plane. Bruce got out, holding the door open for her.

"I'm not leaving." Felicity said.

"Why?" Bruce growled. "Because of Queen?" He was jealous.

"You're using this as an excuse to get what you want." She hissed, getting out of the car. "You're manipulating this because you want me in Gotham and this kidnapping conveniently gives you an-"

Bruce pulled her against him, pulling down his cowl. "Never say that I think you being in danger is convenient." There was pain in his eyes. Felicity pressed her hands against his chest.

"Bruce, I don't want to run."

"Don't think of it as running." He said. "Think of it as strategic retreat. You can run coms from Gotham and I promise you the Batcave is way more advanced than whatever set up you had in the Arrow Lair." He grimaced. His grip on her arms tightened and he buckled.

"Bruce?" She said. He grit his teeth.

"I think..." He motioned to his side. "That he hit me harder than I thought."

"What?" There was a gash on his side. Alfred rushed over to steady him. When had that even happened?

"There's a medical table and supplies on the plane." Alfred said, putting Bruce's arm around his shoulders and carrying him to the plane. Felicity followed.

* * *

Bruce woke, groaning as he tried to get up. He squinted in confusion at his surroundings. The Batcave. When had he gotten back to Gotham?

"He's awake." A voice next to him said. "ALFRED."

He winced, looking next to him. "Felicity?"

"Yeah." Her cheeks were tear-stained and she looked like she hadn't slept in a while. She was also gripping his hand. "How do you feel?"

"Like he's been stabbed, I'd imagine." Alfred had arrived and he did not look happy. "Master Bruce what have we said about ignoring injuries?"

Bruce shifted slightly, a white-hot pain shooting through his side. "It's just a flesh wound." He muttered. Alfred scoffed.

"You could have died." Felicity said. "You lost a lot of blood." She hadn't let go of his hand. He was grateful for the contact. She

"Alfred." He whispered. "Can you give us a minute?"

Alfred nodded, moving away. Bruce sat up, ignoring the pain in his side. Felicity let go of his hand, glancing around. "So. You got me to come to Gotham."

"And all it took was being stabbed." He said. Felicity let out a small laugh.

"There are less dramatic ways to win arguments." She murmured, wiping at her eyes. He squeezed her fingers.

"Let me guess" He said. "Something I'd know if I'd bothered to contact you in the last three years?"

Felicity grimaced. "Somehow bringing up how stupid you were to hide from me doesn't feel right in this moment." She frowned. "But I can't believe you didn't say you were injured. I...I thought I was going to lose you." She looked at the ground, her hand dropping his. "And I really didn't want that to happen."

"I'm not that easy to kill." Bruce said.

"Good." Felicity breathed, giving him a smile.

"Master Bruce," Alfred moved forward. "Ms. Felicity has yet to go into the main house. Might I suggest we all go upstairs for some much needed rest?" Bruce arched a questioning brow at Felicity who nodded. He got to his feet, shaking his head at Alfred and Felicity's offers of help. They went through the manor in silence before stopping in front of Bruce's bedroom door. Alfred made himself busy, fluffing the pillows and fussing over Bruce while Felicity stood, uncertainly in the doorway, watching their movements with wide eyes. She didn't want to come in, but it also seemed like she didn't want to leave.

"Alfred." Bruce protested. "I'm fine, I've dealt with worse."

* * *

"I've dealt with worse." Something about those words made Felicity snap.

"And that's supposed to make this okay?" She said. Both Alfred and Bruce froze, looking at her in shock. Alfred gave her a small understanding smile before leaving the room. She stepped out of the way waiting for the door to close before looking back at Bruce. He was waiting for her to say something. "I just..." She looked at the ground. "Things were just starting to make sense between us and I...I just wish we could connect like normal people, not through being held hostage by crazy supersoldiers and sword stabbings." She moved across the room and sat on the edge of the bed, her back to Bruce. He let out a small chuckle. She glared over her shoulder at him. "This isn't funny."

"It kinda is." He leaned back against the pillows. "The night we first met, I was taking down a gang of thieves. Nothing about our relationship is normal."

Felicity moved so she was facing him. "When did you have time to get them?" She asked, running through her memories of that night. "I know I was drunk, but I'd like to think I could remember you changing into batman and delving out bat justice..." She paused. "Though I didn't remember getting married so maybe I'm not as perceptive as I like to think I am." Bruce smirked.

"It was when you were asleep." He said. "I climbed out the window."

"Huh." So he'd gone out and Batmanned while she was asleep. She pictured him slipping back into the room in his batsuit. It wasn't sexy, nope definitely not. She flushed, turning away from his gaze. His fingers touched her wrist. She fiddled with the necklace around her neck, it struck her that she hadn't been upfront with some details about that night as well. "I was...trying to escape from something that night." She admitted softly. "Some one I cared about..." She winced. Even years later the wound of Cooper's death was still fresh. "Someone I loved died." She exhaled.

"I know." Bruce said. She arched an eyebrow at him. "Background check." He admitted. "Just to make sure you weren't dangerous."

"Oh I'm plenty dangerous." Felicity muttered. Bruce grinned.

"I know that now."

"That's not what I mean." She swallowed. She'd never told anyone the circumstances that had led to Cooper's arrest and...his suicide. "It's my fault that he's gone." She gripped the locket tighter. "I wrote the code that he used to hack the FBI. He told them he'd created it to protect me."

Bruce's fingers encircled her wrist and he gently tugged her towards him. She went without protest, allowing herself to be folded into his side.

"Ironic, isn't it?" She mumbled. "All this time you thought you were keeping me safe by staying away from me, but now." she looked down at his bandaged side. "This happened because of me."

"No." Bruce said. "This is Slade Wilson's fault." He drew his fingers up her arm. "And I've been injured saving complete strangers." He looked down at her. "Your boyfriend wasn't your fault either. People make their own decisions, Felicity." He tightened his hold slightly. "You may have created the code, but he chose how to use it. You going to prison because he'd misused your invention wouldn't have been fair."

She didn't notice she was crying again until he brushed his fingers under her eyes. She ducked her head, wiping her eyes furiously. "Can I...can I stay here tonight?" She whispered. The thought of leaving was too much to bear. He nodded.

"Stay as long as you need."


	26. Chapter 26

Bruce woke to the sound of Felicity softly talking on her phone. She was standing off to the side. There was a cold spot next to him on the bed where she'd slept the night before.

"I'm fine, Digg." she murmured. "Bruce found me. Tell Oliver he can call off the search." She glanced over her shoulder at Bruce. He feigned sleep, interested in how this conversation would progress. "I'm..." she sighed. "I'm in Gotham. Bruce was injured when he saved me." She chuckled. "No, not grievously...tell Oliver to stop celebrating. Bruce'll back on his feet in a few days." She tilted her head. "You do realize I don't need you playing big brother, right? He's being a perfect gentlemen. And he's not in any shape for whatever you're thinking."

Bruce arched an eyebrow, amused by her friend's obvious protectiveness.

"I'm really okay, Digg." She ran a hand through her hair. "I should be home soon."

The assertion made Bruce's jaw clench. No way in hell was she going back to Starling. Especially not with Slade Wilson still on the loose and him being less than capable of protecting her. She must have sensed that he was awake because she turned and looked back at him. She winced. "Listen, I gotta go. Bruce just woke up." She hung up. "Hey." She gave him a smile.

"You are not going back to Starling." He growled. Her expression fell and she sighed, shaking her head.

"Don't you think that's my choice?" She asked. Bruce snorted.

"Not when you seem unable to make good ones." He muttered, turning and putting his legs on the ground. He was about to stand when Felicity blocked his path, her arms crossed and irritation in her eyes. He sighed. "Felicity-"

"You are not getting up from this bed." She rolled her eyes. "And you think I'm the one who makes terrible choices."

"I need to work on the antidote." He protested. "The lab equipment in the Batcave-"

"Will still be there once you heal." She wasn't moving. "Alfred called Lucius Fox and he's going to work on the blood sample with him. You are staying in bed."

Bruce gnashed his teeth. As much as he wanted to argue, the throbbing in his side was making it hard to focus and he'd be no good to the investigation if he dropped of exhaustion. And Felicity was stubborn enough to outlast him. "I want regular updates." He finally conceded, lying back down on the bed. "You're still not going back to Starling."

Felicity pulled his blankets up and tucked them around him, a triumphant smirk on her face. "We'll discuss that later." She sat next to him. "How are you feeling?"

He grunted, frowning at his fingers. "You put me as your emergency contact."

"Huh?" She blinked at him in surprise, clearly she'd been expecting a different answer.

"Officer Lance from the SCPD called me and said you were kidnapped." He tilted his head, enjoying the way she flushed red. "I know I didn't hack into your records to change it, although I considered it. So it means..." He waited. She fidgeted before finally letting out a sigh.

"It was after I got shot." She mumbled. "And let the record show I was high on painkillers when I did it."

"In Aspirin Veritas." Bruce smirked.

"That was not aspirin." Felicity huffed, turning her back to him. Bruce itched to take her into his arms again, but he knew she wouldn't be as open to his touch as she'd been the night before. She'd been worried about him and therefore had inadvertently revealed her deeper feelings. Now that she knew he was doing better, she was trying to reestablish distance between them. She cleared her throat, getting up. "I need to change your bandages." She mumbled, motioning to a bunch of medical equipment.

Bruce reached for the hem of his shirt, "You okay to do this?"

She nodded. "I've done it before for..." she trailed off. Queen. He pulled the shirt over his head. She meant Queen. The thought of her putting her hands on Queen, even in a medical context made his blood boil. It took her a few minutes to clean the wound and rebind it. She was so gentle with him, trying to minimize the pain. A rush of affection ran through him. She had to know she didn't have to be overly cautious with him...but she wanted to be. Her fingers skated over his abdomen one last time as she secured the bandages. Her hands hoovered over his chest.

"Are you hungry?" She asked.

He smirked. "Yes."

"Good.' She moved back. "I'll go get breakfast." She fled the room before he could protest.

* * *

Felicity went straight to the Batcave after dropping a tray off in Bruce's room. She needed to get her head on straight and it was easier to do it far away from his injured brooding abs. Alfred and Lucius were in the cave, talking with a woman Felicity didn't recognize. "Hello?" Felicity said. Alfred looked up and beamed at her.

"Ah, Felicity." He motioned her over. "May I present Lucius Fox and Dr. Lee Thompkins."

"Hi..." Felicity said slowly, looking at the two of them. Dr. Thompkins was a smiling older woman and she seemed to sense Felicity's next question before she asked it.

"I'm an old friend of Bruce's." She explained. "I've known him since he was a child."

"And I built most of the equipment in here." Lucius said, shaking her hand. "Alfred tells me you're quite adept with cyber technology." He smiled. "It might be fun to pick your brain." He looked at her curiously. "Why did Bruce let you in on his secret?"

"I..." She looked over at Alfred. He hadn't told them who she was to him. "I work with the Arrow and...Bruce and I met a couple years back." She didn't know how to explain the marriage.

Lucius let out an amused chuckle. "The Arrow, huh?" He shook his head. "Bet Bruce had a good rant about that one." He and Dr. Thompkins shared a look before turning back to the table. They had a full lab set up with burners, test tubes and were creating some type of green liquid. Felicity glanced over at Alfred.

"The antidote?"

He nodded. "At least, we believe it will work...we just need a way to test it."

"Unfortunately." Dr. Thompkins said. "We don't have enough of the original blood sample Bruce collected from Deathstroke."

Felicity gulped. There was a way...Roy. But she couldn't tell them about him without his permission. She nodded. "Excuse me for a second." She walked out of the cave, waiting until the clock closed before she pulled out her cellphone. Roy answered within two rings.

"Blondie? You okay?"

"Don't call me that." She shook her head in amusement.

"Sorry." Roy grunted. "Oliver won't tell me anything more than you're not kidnapped and Digg said you were in Gotham."

"It's..." She glanced around Bruce's living room. "A long story. But I know someone here who might have created an antidote to your little problem. We just need to test it." She winced. "Okay, that sounds like we're going to stick you in a bubble and prod you with needles. We aren't; we'll need a blood sample and then if it works, you can take it, but only if you want to-"

"Felicity." Roy cut her off. "You had me at antidote. Just tell me what I have to do."

She hung up a few minutes later after agreeing to pay for a plane ticket for Roy and to pick him up at the Gotham airport. She drummed her fingers on her phone. That was the easy part...now she had to tell Bruce. She glanced at the ceiling. This was going to be fun.


	27. Chapter 27

"Just when..." Bruce said slowly. "Were you planning on sharing this with me?"

Felicity grimaced, he'd been completely silent as she'd explained that Roy was coming to help with the antidote. "Just when were you planning on sharing that you were working on an antidote. I can't help but notice that you neglected to mention that to Oliver."

"That's different, I wasn't sure it would work." Bruce growled. "Roy Harper is a potential threat, the Mirakuru in his system makes him unstable, dangerous even. I know he's your friend, but he's relevant to what we're facing." He ran a hand through his hair.

"I know you're mad." She said.

He glared at her. "Mad? You were the one who pushed for complete honesty. Who told me the only way this was going to work was if I compromised my identity to a killer."

"We're back to this." Felicity looked at the ceiling.

"I trusted you." Bruce growled. "I don't think you realize just how monumental that is."

He was hurt, she realized. He was covering it up with his usual stoic glare, but he had been genuinely pained by her keeping this from him. "Bruce." She began.

"I might have been able to reverse engineer the serum faster." He snapped. "Which means we could have avoided you being kidnapped."

Felicity sighed. "It's not like you to deal in hypotheticals."

"Well, I'm trying something new." He shook his head.

Felicity sat next to him on the bed. "Roy's life was destroyed because of the serum." She said softly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I should have." She looked at him. His jaw was set and he was avoiding her gaze. Finally he met her eyes and nodded.

"Anything else important you're keeping from me?"

She shook her head, the coldness of his tone settling badly in her stomach. "He's coming to help with the antidote." She said. An uncomfortable silence stretched between them. She didn't like this widening gulf between them. "Are we okay?" She whispered, putting her hand on the bed between them. Bruce didn't answer. She nodded, getting ready to stand up when Bruce's fingers brushed against her wrist. She looked back at him. Silence stretched between them. She could feel her pulse hammering in her throat. He didn't say anything and strangely, she realized he didn't need to. He'd forgiven her; they were okay. She gave him a small smile. "I am sorry." She said.

He sighed, leaning back on his pillows. "Not like I've been the picture of honesty." He muttered, giving her a heated look. "So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

She moved back. "Exploring the manor." She smirked. "Seeing as it's 50 percent mine."

Bruce chuckled. "So you're just going to leave your husband here; injured, miserable, and alone?"

"Well." Felicity sauntered over to the door. "You have dealt with worse." She paused in the doorway. Leaving him felt...wrong somehow. She sighed, turning around. "Just so you know." She said, coming back to the bed. "The bat puppy eyes aren't going to work forever." She sat next to him. Bruce seemed to relax.

"So, any updates from Starling on Wilson's movements?"

"The team raided the address, but Slade had cleared out." She pulled her knees up to her chest and put her chin on top of them. "He's been radio silent...which is disturbing..." She felt warmth on her back. She leaned against his hand. "I'd kinda like to know where a crazy murderer is, especially when he's kidnapped me."

Bruce's hand rubbed circles on her back. He was comforting and it centered her. She looked over at him. "Will you still want me around after we catch this guy and things get boring?"

Bruce chuckled. "Clearly you've never lived in Gotham. There is nothing boring about Gotham."

She shook her head. "I should rephrase that, when I said want me around, I didn't necessarily mean in Gotham." She looked over at him. His expression was caged, closed off. He really wanted her here and her refusing him was hurting him. She'd gotten pretty good at reading micro expressions and while Bruce was better at hiding his feelings than Oliver, she could still see he was upset.

She moved closer to him, taking comfort in his proximity. "What's your favorite color?" She asked. Bruce blinked at her in surprised.

"What?"

"We're married and we know next to nothing about each other." She nudged him with her elbow. "What's your favorite color?"

He arched an eyebrow. "Is this going to be some 20 questions thing?" He said. "What's next, my favorite sport's team?"

She nudged him again. "Answer the question, Bruce."

He sighed. "Black."

She let out a surprised laugh. He frowned. "Sorry." She covered her mouth. "But come on, Batman's favorite color...is black?"

He didn't say anything, just looked up at the ceiling. "Are you seriously making fun of me?"

"Black's not a color, it's a shade." Felicity protested.

"Oh yeah, what's your favorite color?" Bruce countered.

"Fuchsia." Felicity retorted. Bruce threw back his head and laughed. "What?"

"Now who's being unoriginal?" He said.

"It's a happy color." She said.

"Uh huh." Bruce rolled his eyes.

"My turn." Felicity said, examining him thoughtfully. "Favorite type of ice cream."

"None." Bruce said. "I don't eat ice cream."

Felicity's eyes widened. "You don't..."

"It's unhealthy." Bruce said.

"And you've never eaten something for fun?" She prompted. Bruce shook his head. "Have you ever done anything for fun?"

Bruce's expression darkened. "It's been a long time." He murmured. Felicity winced.

"Sorry, I should have realized." She mumbled.

"No." He sighed. "I've dedicated a lot to this crusade."

She looked at him, an idea forming in her mind. Bruce watched her, suddenly nervous. She shot him an innocent look. "I'll be right back." She patted his leg, before getting off the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"Don't worry." she smirked. "By the way, do you have a car I can borrow?"

* * *

Slade glared around the warehouse he'd been forced to relocate to. "We need to implement our endgame." He murmured.

"Finally." Isabel said, sniffing in disgust at their surroundings. "I'll begin the transfer of materials from QC's labs. You need to grab the boy."

Slade smiled. "Fortunately, I know just where Roy Harper will be." He turned and walked out of the warehouse. Though there was no evidence connecting him to Felicity Smoak's abduction, he couldn't take the chance that Oliver and his team wouldn't try for retaliation. He chuckled to himself as he drove to Verdant. As he pulled up around the corner, he caught sight of Thea Queen in the side alley, talking animatedly on her phone. He stopped the car, got out and scaled the wall. Looking over the side, he listened.

"I don't know, Sin, he said he had to visit a sick family member in Gotham and he just left...he wouldn't even let me drive him to the airport." She glared at the door. "No. I don't know why. I didn't even know Roy had family, let alone in Gotham." She shook her head. "I have to go back to the club." She hung up and took a deep breath before plastering a fake smile on her face before opening the door and going back inside the club.

Slade stepped back from the edge, fury rushed through his veins. Gotham? Family? Unlikely. No, this had Felicity Smoak's finger prints all over it. Felicity Smoak and Batman. His blood boiled as he practically ripped the door off his car. Batman, what a pest. What was his interest? Was he really so territorial that he was pissed about his stop in his city...unless... Slade froze. Oh how foolish he'd been. While Oliver Queen loved Felicity Smoak she was already married...to Bruce Wayne, a Gotham billionaire. She got kidnapped...and she was saved by Gotham's vigilante and now Roy Harper was heading to Gotham. Which means that Batman took her to Gotham...and that he had some connection to Bruce Wayne.

"Change of plans, Ms. Rochev." He said. "We're going to Gotham.".

,

* * *

Bruce watched as Felicity came back into his room, holding a plastic shopping bag. She sauntered over to the edge of the bed. "What is that?" He said. She smiled and pulled out a container of Haagen-Dazs mint chip.

"This." She grinned "is my favorite type of ice cream." Sitting next to him, she opened one of the containers of ice cream and pulled it open. Taking out a spoon, she scooped some out and held it in front of his mouth. Bruce pressed his lips into a line. "Open up." She said. Bruce shook his head. "It's not going to kill you."

"I'm lactose intolerant."

"Lies." Felicity said. "You eat this and I'll tell you a secret."

Bruce sighed before opening his mouth. Felicity put the spoon in, grinning.

"Well?" She asked.

"Sugary." He mumbled. "You owe me a secret."

"I once accidentally tried drugs freshman year at a frat party."

Bruce snorted. "That's your big secret?"

Felicity put the spoon back into the ice cream container. "You get a better secret each time you eat a spoonful." The look of amusement in her eyes was too good to pass up. He opened his mouth again. She smirked. "Here comes the batplane." She held up the spoon, laughing at the look of irritation he shot her.

"Secret." He mumbled around the cold minty dessert.

Felicity hummed. "What do you want to know?"

He smirked. "Your first kiss."

"That was Cooper." A slight sadness crossed her expression, but she shook her head and it passed. "Actually it happened the same day of the brownie incident."

"The brownie incident." He repeated.

"The drugs." She clarified.

Bruce shook his head. "Was the kiss before or after the drugs?"

"After..." She frowned. "Don't read into that." She muttered. "There were walnuts in the brownies and well, I was going into anaphylactic shock and he kissed me."

Bruce let out a laugh. Felicity smacked his arm. He smirked. "It's a little funny." He said.

"Yeah, except he had to follow it up with an epi-pen." She said. "I barely remember it because I had to be rushed to the hospital." She poked him in the cheek with the spoon. "Yours?"

"3rd grade. Her name was Clara." He said. "If I take another bite, can I ask you anything I want?"

Felicity's eyes narrowed, moving the spoon away. "I'm regretting allowing you this power."

He chuckled.

"For the record..." She rolled her eyes. "OMG it was the biggest I've ever seen" Her voice was sarcastic, her tone flat. Bruce arched an eyebrow. She flushed, looking back at her ice cream. He grinned.

"How much of a lie was that?" He asked.

Felicity was about to respond when her phone buzzed. "I have to go pick up Roy from the Gotham airport."

"Saved by the bell." Bruce muttered. "Take Alfred with you."

"I will." Felicity said, handing him the ice cream. "While I'm gone I expect you to be completely indulgent and give yourself brainfreeze."

Bruce took the ice cream, shaking his head as he watched her walk to the door. "This isn't the dessert I want." He called out. Felicity stumbled. He smirked as she through him an embarrassed look over her shoulder. Her cheeks were red. Then her expression changed into one of amusement.

"I don't think you could handle that type of dessert right now, Mr. Wayne." She smirked. "Wouldn't want you to pull your stitches." She laughed as he growled before shutting the door behind her.


	28. Chapter 28

**AN:** _I looked up how fast it would be for a jet to fly from California to NY (As Gotham is approximately located in the NY NJ area) and apparently the record in 1990 in SR Blackbird flying from LA to Virginia. So I would imagine it would be around the same to fly from Starling to Gotham._

 _Just so no one yells "Slade got there too fast."_

 _Thanks so much for everyone who stuck with the story even with the break I took in the middle. I had the worst case of writer's block, but I finally got my grooze back. Also I promise I will try to work on updating Shadows and Souls soon._

* * *

Bruce waited a few minutes until he was sure Felicity was gone before sneaking the tablet he'd hidden under his bed out. He knew she'd be mad that he wasn't resting, but he needed to know if there had been any changes on Slade that Team Arrow hadn't shared with him. He hacked the Arrow lair, marveling at Felicity's security and the various searches she had running on the computers. Oliver had set up a new system, but it was lacking: probably because Felicity herself hadn't gone over it. He rolled his eyes. The good news about this exceptionally weak system was that he could use it to run a few searches. Putting Slade's likeness through a facial recognition software, all the while, checking for updates on the antidote.

He'd been working on the tablet for about an hour when Alfred walked in. He started, half shoving the tablet under the blanket before he recognized the old butler. Relaxing, he pulled the tablet out. Alfred looked at him in amusement.

"What?" Bruce growled.

"Nothing." Alfred smiled. "Just that I don't believe Mrs. Wayne would approve of you not resting..." He went to open the windows. "And that you know that as well."

Bruce grunted and was about to retort when an alert beeped on his tablet. He frowned as he opened the facial recognition software. "Oh no." He murmured, trying to get out of bed.

"No, Master Bruce." Alfred said, putting his hand on Bruce's shoulder. "You cannot risk going out there and injuring yourself."

Bruce grit his teeth. "Well that's going to be a problem." He motioned to the tablet. "Because Slade Wilson just got on a private plane and I have a pretty good idea of where he's headed."

"You think he's coming to Gotham?"

"Worse." Bruce stood, walking towards the door of the room. "I'm willing to bet that he's coming here, to Wayne Manor." He wrenched the door open and began walking towards his father's study.

"How do you know?" Alfred said.

"It's what I'd do." Bruce explained. "He knows Felicity is my wife, he knows the Batman operates in Gotham and that the last time he saw Felicity she was being rescued by Batman. He wants Felicity, he wants revenge and now Batman's on his list. Coming to Wayne Manor would be the most obvious place to start looking." He grimaced. "That is, if he hasn't figured out that I'm Batman yet." It was possible; his connection to Felicity was a complication. He'd never had such a tangible link to another person. This could seriously compromise his identity.

He opened the clock, stepping inside and going to the Batcave. "Contact Team Arrow." He said to Alfred before pulling out his phone. She wasn't picking up. He tried again.

"I'm driving, you're on speaker." She said.

"Is Harper with you?" He asked.

"Yeah. He-"

"Slade just left Starling." Bruce cut her off. "I think he's headed here. The second you get back here go straight to the Batcave and under no circumstances come out. Tell Harper..." He sighed heavily. On the one hand, he didn't have a read on Harper's trustworthiness. On the other, he couldn't take Slade down on his own...even with his experimental suit. He needed help ad if Felicity trusted him then he should put some trust in her. "Tell him I need him to be ready to help me."

"Got it." She said.

Bruce hung up. Alfred frowned. "Master Bruce." He said, watching as Bruce walked over to the Bat exo suit.

"It's not ideal." Bruce said. "But we built it for moments like this one." He opened the suit. "As soon as Felicity gets back, we lock down the manor." He looked at Dr. Thompkins and Lucius Fox. "I'm going to need the two of you to keep working on this antidote."

He sat at the computers, running a trace on Felicity's phone. She was still far...way too far for his comfort. It would take her almost an hour to get to the manor from Gotham Airport. "Please hurry." He murmured, ignoring the way Lee, Lucius, and Alfred shared a look.

* * *

Felicity bit her lip, fidgeting in her seat as she pushed the acceptable speed limit in order to get back to the Manor. Roy shot her worried looks. "You okay?" He said.

"This Slade thing..." She shivered. "I just...I don't want him near me." She looked over at him. "He's actually insane."

Roy nodded. "I feel that." He looked at his hands. "So Batman might really be able to cure me?"

Felicity smiled. "He thinks so."

"I don't know him." He said. "For all I know he might just think I'm a crazy danger...but I do know you; if you think I can trust him, it's good enough for me."

Felicity was touched by Roy's trust in her. She focused her eyes on the road, thinking of her answer to Roy's question. Yes, she trusted him. In fact, even though Slade was coming for them, she felt safer than she'd felt in months.

"I guess that grin answers my question." Roy mumbled. "Does he know how hopelessly in love with him you are?"

"I am not." Felicity glared at him. "Bruce is...he's..." She sighed.

"Uh huh." Roy smirked. "Is that why you can't string a complete sentence together?" He nudged her. "Just one thing. You have what I can't have with Thea, right now. He knows about every part of your life and you know about his." He grimaced. "You don't know how lucky you are."

Felicity bit her lip. "I don't if I love him." She admitted. "But...I can definitely say that I..." She turned the car onto the road that would lead them through the woods to Wayne Manor. Suddenly she heard something.

"That you..." Roy prompted. Felicity shushed.

"Listen." She hissed.

There was a humming noise. It made her skin crawl. Flooring the accelerator she shouted over to Roy. "Call Bruce, tell him to open the gate. NOW." A glance in the rear-view mirror told her that she'd been right. There was a jet flying overhead and it was going in the direction of the Manor.

The gate was coming up. It was opening slowly. Felicity grit her teeth. "Hold on." She said, turning the wheel. The tires screeched and dust turned as she urged the car forward. The gate wasn't wide enough and the side mirrors were clipped as it went through the gates.

"Felicity, do you know how much this car is worth?" Roy said.

"The kind of number I don't want to think about?" Felicity replied. Screeching to a halt in front of the manor just as a jet began it's descent. She jumped out of the car and rushed to the door, Roy hot on her heels.

"MS SMOAK." Slade roared. There was a shot. Roy grabbed Felicity and shielded her with his body, the bullet bouncing harmlessly off of him.

"Get in." He shouted. "Get in."

Felicity wrenched open the door and ran in, Roy followed. She locked the door, before running to the stairs.

"Do you seriously think that's going to stop them?" Roy asked.

"Well better safe than sorry." She said, looking at him, checking for signs of blood. He shook his head.

"Mirakuru makes me pretty bullet proof." He said. Felicity skidded to a stop in front of the study. Opening the door, she went directly for the clock.

* * *

The second Felicity entered the Batcave Bruce let out a sigh of relief. He looked her over.

"Slade?" She asked.

"Hasn't gotten into the manor." He said, jerking his head over to the computers. "The door may look like oak, but it's actually oak covered reinforced steel." He looked at Roy. "You, give Dr. Thompkins a blood sample then meet me upstairs." He looked down on Felicity. "You. Stay in the Batcave and run the coms. The manor security system is controlled through here. Alfred's going to need your help.

"Meet you upstairs..." Felicity said. "Bruce, you're not seriously thinking of fighting him."

Bruce walked past her towards the exosuit.

"Bruce."

"There's no time to argue, Felicity." He said. She came up behind him, watching him, concern evident on her brow. He was just about to put the helmet on when she put her hand on his arm, stopping him. She took the helmet and looked at it before looking back at him. Pulling his face down, she kissed him. It was desperate, hungry. She gripped his hair, bumping against the exosuit. He pulled away, his forehead pressed against hers.

"If you die, I will never forgive you." She whispered. "You got that, Mr. Wayne?"

"Crystal clear, Mrs. Wayne."

He swore he saw a slight smile tease her lips before she gave him another peck on cheek. Holding out the helmet, she put it over his head, securing it. He looked over at where Alfred, Lee, and Lucius were deliberately trying to look away. He shook his head at them.

"Get working on the cure." He growled.

* * *

Felicity sat in front of the computers, looking nervously at the security cameras. So far, Slade had broken into the downstairs library. Bruce was waiting for them on the stairs. Roy was hiding in the corner, ready to ambush him.

"He called Team Arrow." Alfred murmured. "They should be trying to get transportation." He was trying to reassure her, but Felicity knew as well as he did that, absent some type of miracle, they wouldn't make it on time.

"Any suggestions?" She asked. Alfred typed in a code. Gas flooded the entire 1st floor.

"Normally that would knock out anyone who inhaled it..." He grimaced as Slade became visible, striding through the gas as though nothing had happened. Felicity gulped as she caught sight of the woman with him.

"That's Isabel Rochev." She whispered, covering her mouth. "Bruce." She said over the coms. "Slade's not alone. He's got Isabel Rochev with him and I'm pretty sure she's been enhanced as well."

* * *

Bruce grit his teeth. "Acknowledged."

"Pretty interesting security system, Wayne." Slade's voice came through the clearing gas. "State of the art, military grade I'd bet. Now what would a billionaire playboy need with such a security system." He was standing on the bottom of the stairs and a mad smile broke over his features as he took in Batman. "Ah. I suspected this might be the case."

So he knew. "Leave. Now." Bruce ordered.

"Not until I have what I came for." Slade said. "I need Ms. Smoak and the boy."

"Mrs. Wayne." Bruce corrected. "Is none of your concern. As for Harper, I don't think he wants to go."

Slade drew his sword. "We're not so different you and I." He said. "I too know what it's like to come second in a woman's heart to Oliver Queen."

Bruce snorted. Was he serious? "Tell Ms. Rochev that there's no need to sneak in. I know she's here."

Slade was furious. "She needs to be protected from Queen."

Bruce glanced around. "I don't see Queen here, do you?"

"He needs to suffer." Isabel had stepped forward. "And Ms. Smoak can help us do that."

Bruce's eyes narrowed. While Slade's motives, at least in his own twisted imagination, were to protect Felicity, Isabel appeared to have a more blood thirsty inclination. He looked at the two of them. Just one more step and they'd be exactly where he needed them to be.

"Well this has been fascinating." Bruce said. "But you've wasted a trip. Felicity's not going anywhere with you." Slade and Isabel both took angry steps forward.

"Now." Bruce growled. An electric force field materialized and both Slade and Isabel slammed into it. The electricity seemed to be holding them off. At least temporarily.

"It's working." Felicity's voice whispered in his ear.

"Cut it off." Bruce said.

The electricity stopped and both slid unconscious to the ground. Bruce tagged Isabel with a small chip that would intermittently send out electrical pulses, immobilizing her. He turned to Slade.

"Look out." Roy shouted, rushing Slade. The man was recovering much faster than Isabel. Slade grabbed Roy by the throat.

"You're weak." He growled. "The Mirakuru used to make you was diluted, less powerful than the original; a copy." He threw him like a rag doll. Roy struck the wall with such force that he left a dent. He slid to the ground, unconscious. Slade looked up at Bruce. "Looks like it's just me and you."

Bruce grit his teeth. "Looks like."


	29. Chapter 29

Bruce dodged Slade's blows as best he could, but the super soldier kept coming; he wasn't growing tired. Bruce grit his teeth. It was hardly the first time he'd faced an opponent of superior strength, but those times he'd been at full capacity. This time, even with the reinforced outer suit, his odds were lower.

Slade grabbed him and tossed him across the room. Bruce felt his strength waning. It wasn't going to be enough. His side was burning and he was sure he'd ruptured some of his stitches. His one consolation was that he wouldn't find the Batcave. Felicity would be safe. He got up, gearing for another attack.

Slade pulled his fist back and slammed it straight at Bruce's head. He fell to the ground, trying to get up again. His vision was swimming as his helmet cracked open.

Slade bent down and picked Bruce up, his fists cracking holes in the exosuit as the helmet fell to the ground. Bruce felt blood trickling down his face. It got into his eyes, blurring his vision. Slade tilted his head.

"Last chance, Wayne." He growled. "Stay out of my way or I will kill you."

Bruce glared at him. "No."

Slade sighed, pulling out his sword. "You did this to yourself." He almost sounded sad.

"Stop." A voice shouted and it shook him to his core. No, she shouldn't be here, she was supposed to be in the Batcave. Bruce turned. Felicity was standing at the top of the stairs, she was still wearing her coat and even though he was far away from her, he could see tears shining in her eyes. "Please..." She begged. "Stop."

"Felicity." He ground out. She had to get back to the Batcave. She walked down the stairs towards them. She seemed strangely calm, her terrified expression not matching the purpose and determination she was striding towards them with. Slade was looking at her with twisted expression of mad delight. His eyes darted from her to Bruce, excitedly.

"Please don't hurt him." Felicity said, putting her hand on Slade's arm. Slade lowered Bruce to the ground, but didn't let him go. "I'll go with you, just let him live."

"He interfered with my plans." Slade growled.

"He didn't know. He thought you were hurting people for no reason." The tears in her eyes were threatening to spill over. Bruce had to admire her acting skills. "He's not a part of this, please leave him be."

Slade let go of him. He stumbled back, his strength failing him as he fell to the ground. He tried to stand, but Felicity put a hand out to stop him. She met his eyes and mouthed, trust me. He swallowed; on the one hand, he didn't want to just allow her to hand herself over to Wilson...but she wouldn't have stopped him if she didn't have a plan...right? He blinked in agreement, letting her take the lead. She turned back to Slade.

"You truly love him, don't you?" Slade said, looking her over. Felicity nodded. If the situation hadn't been so dire, Bruce would have been overjoyed, but now he couldn't be sure that it wasn't a ploy to distract Slade. The super soldier laughed. "Oh this is perfect. Even if the kid chooses to save you, he'll lose you." He gripped her arm. Felicity's jaw clenched as she tried to hide how much Slade's grip was hurting her. Bruce wanted to move, but Felicity's outstretched hand stopped him. Trust her, he whispered to himself.

"Can I just have a minute." She whispered. "To say goodbye?"

Slade's jaw clenched. He looked down at Bruce.

"We are not so different, you and I." He said. "Both of us have lost women we loved because of Oliver Queen."

"No." Bruce growled as Felicity knelt next to him. "I'm not losing her." He looked at her, gripping her to his side. "I'm not losing you."

She brushed her lips against his ear. "You won't." She murmured. Taking his face in her hands, she pressed her lips against his. He reached up and put his hands on her wrists...and that's when he felt it. A syringe hidden in the sleeve of her jacket. She pulled back, her eyes glittering. "You won't lose me." She said, her gaze steady.

He couldn't tip Slade off, any action that was interpreted as too calm might make him suspect. He pulled Felicity in for another kiss. Slade huffed.

"That's quite enough." Felicity was torn from him. Bruce watched as she struggled against Wilson's grip. "Come now, Ms. Smoak." He said. "We have an appointment to keep."

"Actually," Felicity growled, twisting in his grip. "It's Mrs. Wayne." She struck out, stabbing Slade in the neck with the syringe. Slade roared, shoving her away from him in an attempt to remove the syringe. She crumpled to the ground, lifting herself on her hands to look back at Slade. He felt to his knees, howling in pain. Bruce stood slowly. He punched Slade in the face.

"That's for kidnapping my wife." He growled, swaying unsteadily on his feet. "And being stupid enough to try it a second time."

He fell to the ground, crawling over to her. "Batman to Batcave." He said. "I'm going to need medical assistance up here." He pulled Felicity onto his lap. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Takes more than a crazy super soldier to get rid of me." She groaned. "I hurt everywhere."

"Tell me about it." Bruce agreed.

.

* * *

There was a buzzing noise in Felicity's head. She winced and leaned her face against Bruce's chest. "Loud." She whimpered. Bruce frowned.

"You hear it too?"

She nodded. "Shared hallucination?" She suggested. Bruce's eyes grew wide as the sound grew louder.

"Helicopter." He said, looking towards the entrance. The doors opened. Felicity craned her neck, looking over Bruce's shoulder. Oliver, Digg, and Sara burst in, weapons drawn. "Oh look." Bruce said, icily. "It's the clean up crew."

"What happened?" Digg said, holstering his gun.

"We." Bruce looked at Felicity with pride. "Took down Slade." He didn't make to move, holding her close. Oliver's jaw clenched, but he didn't say anything, just walked over to Slade, nudging him to make sure he was unconscious. Roy stirred in the corner.

"Wha..." He looked around at the mess and destruction around him. His eyes grew wide and fearful. No doubt he was worried that he'd caused it in a Mirakuru rage and couldn't remember.

"Don't worry." Felicity said. "Slade knocked you out in like 2 seconds. None of this was you." Roy frowned.

"Thanks." He grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "I think."

Felicity rolled his eyes. "You got a punch in." She said, trying to salvage his ego. He brightened.

"Really?"

"No." Bruce growled. Roy's face fell.

"Bruce." Felicity felt her head swimming. He squeezed his hands on her waist slightly.

"Master Bruce. Ms. Felicity." Alfred ran towards them. "Thank goodness you are unharmed."

If she hadn't been looking at him, she would have missed the slight widening of Bruce's eyes and the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. Felicity's eyes narrowed. "What?" He was hiding something from her.

"I may..." He admitted, "have torn a stitch."

"A stitch?" Felicity said slowly. The corner of his mouth twitched again.

"Or two." He conceded. She pulled away from him, ignoring the way he reached for her. There was no way she was causing anymore damage to him

"Lee." She said, looking over at Dr. Thompkins. The other woman smiled.

"Already on it." She said, kneeling next to him, a first aid kit in her hand. Felicity stood, hoovering over them.

"Don't worry." Bruce said, helping Lee get him out of the ruins of the exosuit. "She'll have me back on my feet in no time." He looked over at Oliver. "What do we do with Slade?"

Oliver had pulled a cable arrow out of his quiver and was currently using it to bind Slade's hands together. "I have contacts at ARGUS." He mumbled. Bruce's eyes widened.

"You didn't tell them to come here." He hissed.

"No." Oliver said. "But Slade's on their radar. I'm going straight to their headquarters and dropping him off."

"Take Isabel too." Felicity motioned to the where the other woman was still lying on the ground.

"Just..." Bruce said. "Remove my tech." He motioned to a chip on Isabel's back. "I don't want anything Bat related near Waller. Call me old fashioned, but I'm not comfortable with the leader of a secret government organization with dubious morals knowing who I am." He slowly got to his feet.

Oliver nodded, tying Isabel up as well. "We'll be going back to Starling then." He said, fidgeting uncomfortably. Bruce nodded.

"Don't let me stop you." He motioned to the door of the manor. "Just wait for Harper to get some of the antidote that Lucius, Dr. Thompkins and Alfred created."

Roy grabbed Slade and carried him towards the helicopter. Digg did the same with Isabel. Sara had half followed them before stopping and looking back. Oliver hadn't moved. He was looking at Felicity, his eyes were pained.

"Are you coming?" He asked, his voice was hushed. She glanced at Bruce who was being helped up the stairs by Lee and Alfred. She couldn't leave him. He was injured and...they had a lot to talk about. Bruce was deliberately looking away from them. On the surface, it seemed cold, but Felicity knew better. He was trying to shield himself from what he saw as certain disappointment.

"I think I'll stay here for a while." She said slowly. "Make sure you lock Slade up for good." She turned and followed the others up the stairs as Oliver's eyes bored into her back as she walked towards Bruce Wayne. There was an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she also knew it was the right decision.


	30. Chapter 30

Three days later, Bruce was sitting on the porch, pouting as Felicity sat in a lounge chair next to him. "Stop being grumpy." She chided. "You're not actually a nocturnal creature and some fresh air and sunshine might do you some good." She grinned over at him. Bruce looked down.

"How is Batman supposed to intimidate the criminals of Gotham if he has a tan."

Felicity rolled her eyes. The rare break in the near constant Gotham overcast wasn't enough to even warrant her putting on sunscreen. "By the time you're ready to get back in the field the tan you'll get from spending 10 minutes out here will be looong gone."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say...Mrs. Wayne." The last part was whispered. Felicity rolled over so she was facing him.

"I can't help noticing..." She said slowly. "That it's been three days since we solve the Slade problem...and you haven't given me any divorce papers."

Bruce arched an eyebrow.

"I'm..." She hesitated. "I'm glad."

"Oh?"

She nodded. "Look. It's not that I completely forgive you for the three years we missed. But...it's more that I missed out on being with you."

"I think the real punishment is that I missed out on being with you." Bruce said. "You really want to stay and give this a shot?"

"Well, I still have some things I need to do in Starling." She caught the slight flicker of panic in his eyes as he looked away from her. "Mostly setting up their computer system so they have a hope of operating without me."

He nodded. "I know." Felicity snorted. "What?" He growled. He was almost petulant. Shaking her head affectionately, she leaned back in her chair.

"Lucius gave me a job offer." She said. Bruce arched an eyebrow.

"Oh?" He said. Felicity dipped her fingers in the glass of water next to her before flicking it at his face. He flinched, pouting at her as he wiped his face.

"As if you didn't know." She shook her head. "He wants me to help him on...special Wayne Enterprises projects." She dropped her voice, leaning forward so her lips were inches from his ear. "That means bat stuff."

Bruce let out a cough that disguised a laugh and glanced around their decidedly isolated surroundings before whispering, "I know."

Felicity grinned and for a second she caught a ghost of a smile on his face. She loved coaxing the micro-expressions of happiness out of him. The smiles he gave to the cameras and at board meetings were fake and belonged to everyone. But the small twitch in the corner of his lips when she tried to help Aflred in the kitchen or the slight flash of amusement in the depths of his eyes when she accidentally said something inappropriate, those belonged to her.

"There are some ground rules we need to lay down." She said. Bruce arched an eyebrow.

"Ground rules." He repeated. The other eyebrow went up as she pulled out her tablet. "You wrote them down."

She gave him an innocent look. "I wanted to be prepared."

"This isn't a hostage negotiation." Bruce said. Felicity drummed her fingers on the side of her tablet. "Though I haven't heard your demands, so I could be wrong."

"Wrong? THE Bruce Wayne?" She shook her head. "Never." She glanced down at her list. They weren't crazy demands, but if she knew Bruce, he might be annoyed by some of them. "1st, we need to go on actual dates. I want to make this work, but in order to do that we actually need to get to know each other."

Bruce relaxed visibly. "Oh how terrible." He said dry.

"Hey, spending time with your wife is difficult for you." Felicity shot back.

"Yup, once every three years." He pulled away her glass of water as she reached for it again.

"2nd, I'm going to need a separate room in the manor." She continued.

"But how will we get to know each other?" Bruce asked innocently. Felicity gripped her tablet slightly, swallowing and deliberately not looking at him. The last three days she'd woken up with Bruce pressed against her back. It had been hell to push him away, but she couldn't risk pulling him pulling his stitches.

"Down boy." She muttered. Bruce sighed.

"Fine." He said slowly.

"3rd I began looking at listings for an apartment in Gotham during the work week." She said. Bruce flexed his fingers over the edge of his armrests. "What?"

"I know I probably won't be there often because of running coms for your batmanning, but I need my space and a chance to make a life in Gotham that doesn't completely revolve around you." She looked him straight in the eyes. "I can't afford to have that happen again, it's too dangerous." The second she'd lost her job at QC and Oliver had begun mistrusting her, she'd been on the brink of losing everything. "I have some savings because of my time as Oliver's EA and once I get my security deposit back from my place in Starling, I'll be able to pay it by myself."

"Felicity-"

"No." She said, holding up her hand. "It's non negotiable, Bruce."

He ground his teeth. "How about we say this point is under review?"

Felicity shrugged. "4th, I..." She looked at the tablet. "I want to give it time before we go public with our...marriage. I don't want people to think I get special treatment at work and...I'm going to need time to adjust to what it means to be your wife."

Bruce looked at her with interest. "I think you've adjusted just fine." He said. "But I understand and whenever you're ready, we can issue a press release."

Felicity nodded. "Which brings me to my 5th and last point."

"Demand." Bruce mumbled. Felicity poked him in the side before shaking her head.

"I should warn you it's possibly the most dangerous one on this list." She teased, grinning as Bruce turned so he was completely facing her. Taking a breath to build up dramatic tension. "You..." She said. "Have to be the one to explain this to my mother."

* * *

She's the first one to break one of the rules, 2 weeks later. It was date night, something Bruce took very seriously. He'd been twitchy ever since Alfred and Felicity had encrypted the lock on the case of his Batsuit in order to stop him from putting it on and going on patrol. It wasn't as though he'd willingly endanger his health, but he also didn't want the criminals of Gotham getting too comfortable in his absence. So all he had was work and Felicity to distract him from the itch of his healing wound.

"Where is she?" He said, pacing the dining room at Wayne Manor. Alfred was watching him in amusement. "She's 2 hours late."

"Stuck in traffic perhaps?" Alfred said mildly. Bruce shot him a glare. "I must say this is a first; I don't believe you've ever been stood up before."

Bruce checked his phone for what must have been the hundredth time before turning and walking to the door.

"Where are you going, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked.

"To find my wife." He replied.

"Well that's a first." Alfred said. "I'm pretty sure your usual routine has been to run away from her."

"Very funny, Alfred." Bruce growled as he called the security desk. "Yes, this is Bruce Wayne. Did Felicity Smoak leave the building?" He ground his teeth as the head of security informed him that, according to the security logs, Felicity had not left the labs.

She was whispering excitedly with Lucius when he walked in, pointing at a large board. The two of them had empty cups of coffee around them and both had a mad glint that implied they'd been working for an extended period of time. Neither of them had noticed his entrance. Felicity was bouncing excitedly, talking a mile a minute while Lucius nodded, adding her suggestions to the board.

"I think." He said. "We might be able to reroute this if we have a few more hours-"

"Eh hem." Bruce cleared his throat. Neither of them turned. Felicity just waved dismissively.

"Not now Bruce." She mumbled. Then her eyes grew wide and she turned, letting out a surprised squeak. "Bruce?!"

He crossed his arms. "Are you forgetting something?" He asked.

"No." Felicity shook her head. "We're having dinner tonight, at 8."

Bruce nodded, rubbing his chin as though deep in thought. "And what time is it now?" He asked. Felicity's eyes widened and she flushed.

"Um...before 8?" She said, flashing him an innocent smile. Bruce shook his head.

"Unless you mean am, the answer is no." Bruce said. Felicity glanced back at the board.

"I guess we got carried away and lost track of time..." Her voice trailed off. "Wait, if we adjust this." She walked over the board.

"Oh no." Bruce grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. "We had a deal."

"But." Felicity struggled against him.

"It'll still be there when you get back tomorrow." Bruce said, walking out of the lab. "If I didn't know better, I'd speculate that you think this experiment is more interesting than spending time with me." He pulled her towards the elevators and loosened his grip around her to press the call button.

Felicity gave him a sheepish smile. "Maybe?" She said. "At least..." She amended when he gave her an unamused look. "It's running a close second."

The elevator door opened. Bruce couldn't help the fond smile that stole over his face. "Just get on to the elevator, Mrs. Wayne." He growled, nudging her forward.

* * *

Felicity decided that the whole separate rooms things was ineffective around the 5th time she collapsed on Bruce's bed after a long night of running coms. Bruce slid into bed behind her and pulled her into his arms. "So, how long do I have you for before you leave to go to your self imposed exile?" He whispered.

Felicity let out a groan. "Tired." She mumbled. "And it's way more comfortable here. And my room is so far from the cave." She squinted over her shoulder. "Don't think I don't know what you did."

"What I did?" Bruce asked.

"Yes." She put her face into the pillow. "It's your fault my room is so far."

"Yes." Bruce sounded amused. "It's my fault the room you picked is far from the batcave."

"Uh huh." She rolled over, her eyelids heavy. She yawned. "Plus it's more comfortable here."

Bruce skated his fingers over her hip. "So does this mean you're breaking your rule?" He asked.

"Sure whatever." She pressed against him, shutting her eyes.

* * *

The rule about her apartment in Gotham is broken around 2 months later. She'd begun running coms out of her apartment, its proximity to Wayne Enterprises making it the ideal place to mask her activities.

"This is definitely going to bring down property value." Felicity muttered, opening the window and letting Bruce in. Steering him over to the couch, she checked him over.

"I'm fine." He said. "I'm just..." He pulled off his cowl. "I figured you'd be sleeping here tonight and..."

Felicity put her hand to her chest. "Why Bruce Wayne." She grinned. "Are you trying to say you'd miss me?"

"No." He grumbled, moving to take off his suit. It doesn't stop him from coming to her apartment three times over the next four days. They never talk about the fact that its become a shared space, but if Felicity starts buying Bruce's favorite coffee and leaving the window unlocked, well then that's just her planning ahead.

Then Cooper happened.

The virus she'd created at MIT get loosed on the city. She'd been on her way back to her apartment when a van pulled up and men in dark hoods and masks grabbed her. She barely had enough time to activate the bat panic button Bruce had given her before a bag was shoved over her head. When it was pulled off, she found herself in a cold damp warehouse with large servers. A tall man was standing in front of her with his back to her.

"Hi Felicity." His voice was low and harsh. She shivered; it couldn't be. He turned and she let out a small squeak of surprise.

"Coop?" She breathed. His face twisted into a mad smirk.

"Miss me?"

Bruce burst into the warehouse through the ceiling, glass falling everywhere as he landed. A figure grabbed Felicity and pressed a gun to her head as he glared at him. "Batman?" He growled, his eyes narrowing. "How did you get here so fast?"

"Let her go." He growled.

"I don't think so." The man said. "I have some unfinished business with Ms. Smoak."

"Unfinished business." Felicity hissed. "Ironic words from someone who's supposed to be dead."

The man glared down at her. "Better dead than a sellout." He spat. "A corporate whore. What? Wasn't QC enough for you? Or did you just get tired of Oliver Queen. Don't think I haven't noticed how close you are with Bruce Wayne."

There was a momentary flash of panic in Felicity's eyes as she tried to jerk out of his arms. "You've been stalking me Cooper?"

Cooper Seldon. Bruce blinked in surprise. Felicity met his eyes and held open her hand mouthing, "batarang." He nodded. Cooper was frowning at her.

"What?"

Bruce threw the batarang. Felicity caught it and hit Cooper on the side of the head, knocking him out.

"The warehouse is surrounded by his cronies." She said, glaring down at Cooper as she kicked the gun out of his hand.

"I got them." Bruce said.

Cooper was alive. Felicity looked at his unconscious form in shock. She'd spent years hating herself, blaming herself for his death. She'd grieved him...she'd loved him. And the entire time he'd known and he'd...let her suffer.

"Felicity." Bruce was behind her, his hand brushing gently against her shoulder. "The police is coming. Unless you want to stay and answer questions." She shook herself, looking away from Cooper.

Turning to Bruce she gave him a small smile that pulled at the corners of her lips with the effort. "Take me home." She said.

After that night, the apartment became a secondary Batcave.

.

* * *

The secret nature of their relationship becomes compromised after a tech gala. They'd come separately, Bruce in his capacity as CEO and Felicity along with Lucius and other members of R&D. Bruce was gritting his teeth listening to Lex Luthor making snide comments on how Wayne Enterprises wasn't measuring up to Lex Corps when out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Ray Palmer making a beeline for Felicity. That couldn't be good. He tuned out what Lex was saying, turning his attention squarely on Felicity and Palmer.

He didn't like the way Palmer seemed to close the gap between him and Felicity with each passing second of their conversation. Neither, it seemed, did Felicity. She leaned her head back and Bruce caught her eyes darting across the room. Then Ray put his hand on her arm and Bruce had enough.

"Excuse me." He said, ignoring if Lex gave him a response. Striding across to Felicity and Ray, he forced a smile on his face. "Trying to poach my employee, Palmer?"

"Yes." Ray grinned. "She would be so much happier working for me."

"Last I checked, all you had was a bunch of patents and no company to innovate them." Wayne said. "Seems like an awful gamble to take when she's already so satisfied where she is." Next to him, Felicity choked on her drink. "Why trade that in for something that might not even come to fruition?"

Ray looked curiously between them. Felicity gave him a tight smile. "It was night to meet you, Mr. Palmer." She said, holding out her hand. "But Bruce...Mr. Wayne is right." She smiled. "I'm perfectly happy where I am."

Bruce felt an immense sense of smugness as Ray walked away. He turned back to see Felicity glaring at him. "What?"

She shook her head. Leaning in, she whispered. "Meet me in the car in five minutes." She whispered before sauntering away. He only made it three. Waiting next to the car he growled softly when he caught sight of her walking up to him. She leaned her hand on his arm. "These heels are-"

He swept her up, taking off her shoes, before putting her in the backseat of his car. "I paid the valet 100 dollars to disappear." He said. "We have 20 minutes."

Felicity scooted down the seat, pulling her skirt up slowly. "I wonder what we could possibly do with that time?"

Bruce smirked, his fingers skating up her legs, pulling the cloth up the rest of the way. "Oh I have a few ideas." He tilted his head.

20 minutes later Bruce drove them out back towards the manor, his bowtie, hanging loosely from his neck and his shirt still open while Felicity desperately tried to readjust her hair. "So. Was it my dashing rescue from Ray Palmer that brought this on?" He asked. Felicity snorted.

"No." She leaned back, deciding to let her hair down. "I figured you needed reminding that you have nothing to worry about." She grinned. "Plus, car sex is fun." She put her hand on his arm. "Can we...?"

Bruce pressed his lips together. "No." He growled.

"Come on." Felicity pouted.

"The Batmobile is not a toy." He growled. "It's work related. I can't be distracted while using it."

She fell silent. Then said. "How about on the hood." Bruce slammed his foot on the brakes. She laughed as he looked at her dumbfound.

"You might actually kill me." He growled.

The next day Alfred doesn't say anything to them, just dropped a magazine on the breakfast table. Apparently the valet hadn't left, but had snapped a few, compromising pictures of the two of them and sold them to the tabloids.

Felicity's face went completely pale as she looked at the pictures.

"They're terrible." Bruce said, trying to reassure her. "You can barely tell it's you."

"Anyone who doesn't know me won't." Felicity said softly. "But there's one person who will."

* * *

.

* * *

Donna Smoak arrived on his doorstep two days later.

"Felicity Meghan Smoak." she said, striding into the manor, a bemused Alfred following her, carrying her suitcase. Bruce glanced next to him. Donna rushed over and hugged her. "Oh." She said, rocking back and forth as she squeezed her close. "i'm so mad at you."

"Mom." Felicity winced.

"You're dating Bruce Wayne?" She stagewhispered. "And you didn't tell me?"

Bruce arched an eyebrow. "Dating?" He asked. Felicity glared at him.

"Remember our rules?" She said. "You have to tell her."

"True." He nodded. 'But if we're going by the exact letter of the agreement, you technically broke most of the other rules...which means I am no longer bound by the terms of the original contract."

Felicity stuck her tongue out at him while her mouth pulled back. "We're not dating, mom." She took a deep breath. "We're married."

The shriek of surprise and elation was so high pitched Bruce was sure she'd woken the bats in the cave. He was suddenly engulfed in a hug. "I want to know everything." Donna said.

"Yes, Bruce." Felicity was standing off to the side, next to Alfred a self satisfied smirk on both their faces. "Tell her everything."


End file.
